Donald Trump’s proposed 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, drafted by US and Russian officials without Ukrainian or European involvement, has been described as a strategic gift to Vladimir Putin. The plan would reward Russia for its invasion while compromising Ukraine’s sovereignty and democracy, according to critics.
The plan would require Ukraine to abandon all of Donetsk province, freezing the status of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. This would leave Ukrainian defenses weakened, as Donetsk contains Ukraine’s key defensive positions. Trump would also cap Ukraine’s armed forces at 600,000 troops, down from the current 800,000 to 850,000, with no similar limit on Russian forces.
Additionally, the plan calls for Ukraine to reject “Nazi ideology” and hold elections within 100 days of a ceasefire, without imposing similar conditions on Russia. It denies Ukraine NATO membership and prevents NATO members from stationing troops on Ukrainian soil, undermining security guarantees Ukraine had sought.
A separate side agreement would offer a NATO-style security guarantee, but its effectiveness depends on the commitment of NATO leaders, including Trump, to respond militarily to any future Russian attack. Critics note that Putin has breached previous agreements, such as the 1994 Budapest memorandum and the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements.
