US and Russia draft peace plan for Ukraine requiring major concessions from Kyiv

The United States and Russia have drawn up a plan to end the bitter fighting in Ukraine, which would require major concessions from Kyiv.

Exactly what all the concessions that would be made of Ukraine were not clear, but some include demands Moscow has repeatedly made since the start of the 2022 invasion of its neighbor, according to The Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Included in the framework would be the halting of attacks from Russia. 

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has been quietly working on the plan for a month, receiving input from both Ukrainians and Russians on terms that are acceptable to each side, a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity told Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the plan and supports it, the person said. The official said both sides, not just Ukraine, would have to make concessions. 

‘President Trump has been clear since day one that he wants the war between Russia Ukraine to end, and he has grown frustrated with both sides for their refusal to commit to a peace agreement. Nevertheless, the President and his team never gives up, and the United States has been working on a detailed and acceptable plan for both sides to stop the killing and create a durable, lasting peace.’ said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Under the terms of the proposal, which could still be changed, Ukraine would cede territory to Russia and abandon certain weaponry, according to the person who had been briefed on the contours of the plan.

It would also include the rolling back of some U.S. military assistance.

Russia would take control of the entire eastern Donbas region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has listed the capture of the Donbas as the key goal of the invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out ceding territory to Russia. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials will ‘continue to develop a list of potential ideas’ for ending the war based on input from both sides. 

‘Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas,’ he wrote on X late Wednesday. ‘And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions.’

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that ‘there are no consultations per se currently underway’ with the U.S. on ending the war in Ukraine. 

‘There are certainly contacts, but processes that could be called consultations are not underway,’ he told reporters.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.