Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan Surprises GOP Lawmakers

Reports that the Trump administration has been quietly negotiating a 28-point peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine caught Kyiv's supporters in Congress off guard and left at least one Republican warning against what he called a proposal seen as favoring Russia.

"I don't know what this 28-point plan is. I'm glad that we're coming up with a plan," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally and staunch supporter of Ukraine, said Wednesday morning, according to The Hill.

But Graham added that any plan must be buoyed by strong U.S. military commitments to Ukraine and measures targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to fund the war.

"I just heard about it but have not seen any of the details," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday, according to The Hill.

"I have not been read in on the details of that," Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, told The Hill.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., criticized the Trump administration for reportedly negotiating with Russia without Ukraine and appearing to pressure Kyiv.

"I totally disagree with the Administration negotiating w/ the Russians & not the Ukrainians, and their plan to demand the Ukrainians accept the agreement as a 'fait accompli,' " Bacon wrote Wednesday on X. "Not involving the Europeans is foolish.

"The U.S. did this too with South Vietnam & the Afghan Government. This sounds like 1938 Munich."

Bacon was referring to an agreement widely criticized as appeasing Nazi Germany with territory and emboldening Adolf Hitler to try to conquer Europe.

A group of U.S. and Russian officials participated in creating the plan, which remains at a framework stage, a person familiar with the talks told the Financial Times.

One of its architects is Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a close ally of Putin, people familiar with the proposal told the outlet.

The plan was conveyed to Ukraine this week by President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, in Miami to go over the proposal, according to the Times.

Witkoff made clear he wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept the terms, even though they included points that have long been red lines for Ukraine, the Times reported.

One person familiar with the proposal told the Times it would amount to Ukraine giving up its sovereignty if Kyiv accepted the terms and called the framework a Russian attempt to "play" the Trump administration, which they said was eager to "show progress" on a deal.

The plan would call for Russia to gain full de facto control of Luhansk and Donetsk — together referred to as the Donbas — even though Ukraine still controls about 14.5% of the territory there, Axios reported, citing an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.

Despite being under Russian control, areas of the Donbas from which Ukraine would withdraw would be considered a demilitarized zone, with Russia barred from positioning troops there.

In two other war-torn regions, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the current lines of control would be largely frozen in place, with Russia returning some land, subject to negotiations.

According to Axios, the plan would call for the U.S. and other countries to recognize Crimea and the Donbas as lawfully Russian territory, while Ukraine would not be asked to do so.

A Ukrainian official said the proposal also included limits on the size of the Ukrainian military and its long-range weapons in return for U.S. security guarantees.

It is unknown what those guarantees would entail beyond a promise to defend against further Russian aggression.

Additionally, no foreign troops would be allowed on Ukrainian soil, and Kyiv would no longer receive Western long-range weapons capable of reaching deep inside Russia, according to the Times.

Officials in Kyiv briefed on the plan told the Times it closely aligned with the Kremlin's maximalist demands and would be a nonstarter for Ukraine without significant changes.

But another person briefed on the proposal was less pessimistic, telling the Times, "The Americans are pressing Moscow to clearly articulate what their expectations actually are to … start the negotiations."

The proposal came as Zelenskyy's political position in Ukraine has weakened amid a widening corruption scandal involving several close allies.