Ukraine Peace Negotiations

Vladimir Putin & Donald Trump at a meeting in Helsinki. They sit next to a small table with their respective flags in the background.
Kremlin.ru | CC BY 4.0

➡️ THE U.S. - RUSSIA 28 POINT PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE

Since the start of the war, many attempts at peace have stalled and ultimately failed. The age-old contested issues of territory, Ukraine's Nato involvement, sanctions on Russia, and the curtailment of Ukraine's military remain sticking points.

Attempts at peace have included Ukraine's 10-point peace plan, the Belarus-Antalya peace talks, the Istanbul peace talks, the International Summit for Peace in Ukraine, Putin's 2024 terms for ceasefire and negotiations, and various international efforts from China, Indonesia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and a delegation from Africa.

Peace efforts have been reignited after the release of Trump's 28-point plan for peace in November 2025. The plan was criticised as heavily one-sided in Russia's favour, and has since been revised multiple times after European and Ukrainian involvement. To date, there has been no consensus.

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Ukraine's President Zelensky at a press conference. We can see him through a gap in cameras. He looks sad serious.
Flickr | President Of Ukraine

Trump's Original 28-Point Plan

This U.S.-Russia draft was devised by Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, senior members of their respective governments. Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Kremlin has outlined a list of demands for a peaceful resolution. The Trump plan proposed in November 2025 looks remarkably similar to that list and has been labelled 'Russia's wish list.'

Key points of the plan are as follows:

  • A nonaggression agreement that settles all historical disputes in the last 3 decades and an immediate ceasefire.

  • Ukraine must cede control of the entirety of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk to Russia.

  • Ukraine must never be allowed to join NATO.

  • Ukraine must reduce its army to 600,000 troops. (The current number stands at approximately 880,000)

  • Sanctions on Russia are to be lifted. Some frozen Russian assets may be used to help rebuild Ukraine. Russia and the U.S. will enter unspecified long-term economic arrangements.

  • Ukraine must agree to remain nuclear-free, and the U.S. and Russia will enter nonproliferation agreements.

  • Exchange of all hostages, detainees, and prisoners of war. Humanitarian measures to be put in place for all victims and their families.

  • Ukraine must hold elections in the first 100 days after the agreement begins.

  • Amnesty for all parties for actions committed during the war, removing accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, of which there have been many.

  • Implementation is to be monitored by the Peace Council, which will have Trump as its figurehead.

Ukrainian & EU Pushback

Days of tense negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian diplomats failed as pressure from the Whitehouse to agree to the terms intensified. Shortly after, several emergency meetings were called between Ukraine, its key European allies, and Nato leaders to discuss revisions of the plan.

One of the main sticking points is the sweeping territorial concessions to Russia. This new plan, reportedly covering only 20 points, is currently in the hands of U.S. officials, who say they are in the final stages of agreement. Despite these claims, neither Russia nor Ukraine have expressed their willingness to sign.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 09.12.25 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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