A newly circulating U.S. proposal to end the Ukraine-Russia war has triggered urgent concern in Kyiv, where officials warn the document would force their country into sweeping concessions that dramatically weaken its security and sovereignty.
The plan — a 28-point framework drafted in discussions between American and Russian officials and without Kyiv's consultation — asks Ukraine to surrender territory it currently controls, slash the size of its armed forces, and accept only vague future security guarantees, according to Ukrainian officials briefed on the text.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shown the full proposal in Kyiv on Thursday and, according to senior Ukrainian aides, is facing heavy pressure from Washington to sign the agreement "before Thanksgiving," with the goal of presenting the framework in Moscow soon after.
The accelerated timeline, they say, leaves little room for negotiation and risks locking Ukraine into terms that could invite future Russian aggression rather than deter it.
One former War Department official, who also served previously in the Trump White House, called the U.S. plan "nothing more than a surrender document for Ukraine."
"Russia launched an unprovoked war on Ukraine and now wants to dictate terms of peace, including keeping land they stole, a massive reduction in the Ukrainian army, and a promise never to allow any European troops on their soil," the source said, mocking it as a "silly and dangerous agreement" that will only encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin's future aggression.
At the heart of the proposal is a requirement that Ukrainian forces withdraw entirely from the Donetsk region — including areas they currently hold — which would then be redesignated as a demilitarized zone under formal Russian jurisdiction.
That demand crosses one of Kyiv's oldest and firmest red lines: that no recognized Ukrainian territory be ceded in any negotiated settlement.
The plan would also cap Ukraine's armed forces at 600,000 personnel, a dramatic reduction from the more than 900,000 serving today.
Such a cut, Ukrainian defense officials argue, would leave the country unable to mount a credible defense along its long front line and vulnerable borders.
More broadly, the document would require Ukraine to permanently renounce its bid for NATO membership and constitutionally enshrine a pledge never to seek accession in the future.
It would additionally ban the deployment of NATO forces or military infrastructure on Ukrainian soil — a key Russian demand and one that would undercut European efforts to provide Ukraine with long-term deterrence.
Despite these sweeping security implications, the draft contains just a single sentence referencing "security guarantees" for Ukraine, with no explanation of what those guarantees might entail, who would enforce them, or what response would follow if Russia violated the deal.
The proposal outlines a phased rollback of U.S. sanctions on Russia tied to compliance benchmarks.
It also opens the door for Moscow to rejoin what is now the G7 grouping of advanced economies (Russia was expelled after the annexation of Crimea in 2014).
Another major component involves frozen Russian sovereign assets.
Under the draft plan, approximately $100 billion of those funds would be pooled into a U.S.-led reconstruction and investment program for Ukraine, with Washington receiving half of the profits.
Remaining assets would be channeled into a separate joint U.S.-Russian investment vehicle for undefined "mutual projects."
Critics in Kyiv say the structure gives Moscow a path back into global financial markets while giving Washington major leverage over Ukraine's reconstruction — all without securing firm restrictions on future Russian military action.
The proposal was discussed during Zelenskyy's meeting with a visiting U.S. military delegation led by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance.
A U.S. Army spokesperson said both sides "agreed on an aggressive timeline," describing the agreement as initially bilateral between Washington and Kyiv.
U.S. officials stress the document remains a "working draft" and is subject to revision.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said any final deal must provide "full security guarantees and deterrence" while opening financial pathways for both Ukraine's rebuilding and Russia's reintegration into the global economy.
Still, Ukrainian officials warn the current terms fall far short of those assurances.
With Kyiv under pressure to respond within days, many fear Ukraine may be cornered into accepting a peace that ends the fighting in the short term but leaves the country strategically exposed — and Russia emboldened.
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