The Trump administration has been secretly crafting a comprehensive 28-point peace plan to end the Ukraine conflict through direct negotiations with Russian officials, according to exclusive reports from Axios. This development comes as Ukrainian officials maintain they've had no role in drafting these proposals and have only received vague signals from Washington about the ongoing discussions.
Ukraine Left in the Dark About Peace Proposal Details
A Ukrainian official told Reuters that Ukraine had no involvement in drafting the proposals currently being discussed between the United States and Russia. The official clarified that Kyiv has received only preliminary signals about the potential peace framework from Washington, raising concerns about being sidelined in critical negotiations affecting their sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Ukraine confirmed that a high-level American delegation led by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll visited Kyiv to assess the ground situation and explore potential pathways to resolve the ongoing conflict. This visit underscores the administration's dual-track approach of engaging both sides separately.
Inside Trump's 28-Point Peace Framework
The proposed peace plan, inspired by President Trump's successful push for a Gaza agreement, consists of 28 detailed points organized into four key areas:
- Peace in Ukraine
- Security guarantees for involved parties
- European security arrangements
- Future US-Russia-Ukraine relations
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the drafting efforts and has held extensive discussions with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund and plays a crucial role in Ukraine diplomacy. The two envoys spent three days together in Miami from October 24-26, working on the proposal details.
A White House official emphasized President Trump's position, stating: The president has been clear that it is time to stop the killing and make a deal to end the war. President Trump believes that there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown.
Russian Optimism and European Outreach
Russian officials have expressed unusual optimism about the proposal's potential. Kirill Dmitriev told Axios: We feel the Russian position is really being heard. He explained that the framework builds on principles agreed upon by Trump and Putin during their August meeting in Alaska and aims to address not just the Ukraine conflict but also broader US-Russia relations and Moscow's security concerns.
Dmitriev stressed this initiative is separate from a UK-led Gaza-style peace plan, which he dismissed as having no chance of success because it ignored Russia's positions. He noted that Russia is achieving additional successes on the battlefield, creating urgency for diplomatic solutions.
The Trump administration has begun briefing European officials about the proposal alongside Ukrainian counterparts. A US official commented: We think the timing is good for this plan now. But both parties need to be practical and realistic.
The administration aims to produce a written document outlining the complete proposal before the next scheduled meeting between Trump and Putin, though plans for a Budapest summit remain temporarily on hold. Meanwhile, Witkoff's scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey was postponed, though he did meet with Zelensky's national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, in Miami earlier this week.
As diplomatic efforts intensify, the Kremlin has denied discussing any new proposals that could supplement agreements reached between Putin and Trump in Alaska, setting the stage for complex multilateral negotiations in the coming weeks.
