Trump's peace plan calls for Ukraine to ditch NATO and foreign troops — WSJ
Photo: Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
The so-called peace plan developed by the administration of US President Donald Trump with the assistance of the Russian regime provides for Ukraine's refusal to join NATO and a ban on the deployment of foreign troops on its territory, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The agency notes that Trump is trying to apply an approach similar to the scheme for ending the war in Gaza: to develop a multi-point plan and force the parties to accept it. However, this plan is likely to face strong resistance from Kyiv and European governments, according to one source.
The plan contains many things that Ukraine and Europe consider completely unacceptable. In particular, according to sources in the Trump administration, Ukraine will have to give up NATO membership, at least for several years. Ukraine will also have to refuse to host foreign troops after the war ends.
In return, the Kremlin is supposed to promise not to attack Ukraine and other European countries. Moscow is even ready to enshrine this promise in its legislation. In general, the agency notes, this repeats most of the demands that Vladimir Putin made during meetings with Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and later during meetings with Trump himself.
The agency says that, according to a senior administration official, Trump does not consider it his duty to return to Ukraine the lands that Russia has already seized. Instead, he is seeking an agreement that will halt the fighting concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have been slowly but steadily gaining ground at great cost nearly four years after Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Kyiv's resistance and problems
However, the plan, which appears promising on paper, will in reality face strong resistance from Ukraine and its allies. First, it contradicts the position taken by Ukraine and Europe—that Kyiv should not unilaterally transfer any of its territory to Russia.
Analysts note that attempts to force Ukraine to withdraw its troops from Donbas are unlikely to succeed. This is one of the most fortified territories, where Kyiv holds strategically important defensive positions. Surrendering them would make it easier for Russia to advance into other regions of the country in the future.
Additionally, the Trump administration is avoiding answering questions about what security guarantees the US and its allies will provide to Ukraine. The White House has not gone beyond statements about air support and indirect assistance.
For some reason, the US hopes that Russia's gradual successes on the front lines and the corruption scandal involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's entourage will force the latter to make concessions. However, these hopes are in vain.
One source told the agency that, on the contrary, the corruption scandal will lead to Zelenskyy not abandoning Ukraine's fundamental security positions, as this would further undermine his reputation. The US-Kremlin plan will therefore almost certainly be rejected by Kyiv.
Another US and Russia's peace plan
US and Russia have prepared a peace plan for Ukraine that involves fulfilling the Kremlin's maximalist demands. In particular, Ukraine will have to relinquish its long-range weapons, part of its territory, and significantly reduce its army.
These proposals were developed without Ukraine's participation, but with the close involvement of representatives of the Russian regime. US President Trump approved this plan despite Congress not even being aware of these developments.
Ukrainian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have already reported that Kyiv rejects the peace plans authored by Witkoff and Trump. They are completely unacceptable in the form in which Washington is trying to impose them.
