'A plan of capitulation' — US push for controversial peace plan met with backlash in Ukraine
(L-R) U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Roberto Schmidt / Henry Nicholls – WPA Pool / Getty Images / Collage by the Kyiv Independent)
Amid mounting pressure from the White House, Kyiv is now grappling with a U.S. 28-point peace plan that many in the country view as a "capitulation."
Ukrainian activists, lawmakers, soldiers and veterans warn that the proposal could strengthen Russia's position, leading to further conflict rather than resolution — and not just on the front lines, but on the streets of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker with the opposition European Solidarity party, said that the leaked plan appears to be "a plan of capitulation and betrayal" and "completely fails to reflect the interests of Ukraine and the EU."
He believes that if Zelensky accepts it, part of the society will reject it, which could lead to domestic conflict.
While U.S. President Donald Trump spent months unsuccessfully trying to bring Russia to the negotiating table, the latest version of the peace plan — brokered by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev — appears to show that Washington has ultimately sided with Moscow, giving Kyiv days to accept an unfavorable proposal.
The 28-point plan reiterates Russia's long-standing maximalist demands imposed on Kyiv.
In his address on Nov. 21, Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine might soon face a difficult choice — "either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner." He said that Ukraine would collaborate with the U.S. and European partners to offer alternative proposals.
The lawmakers the Kyiv Independent spoke with believe that Zelensky can't move forward with the proposed plan.
"The price for keeping the dialogue (with the U.S.) cannot be the sovereignty of Ukraine, which this plan undermines altogether," Inna Sovsun, a lawmaker from the opposition Holos party, told the Kyiv Independent.
A new U.S. push to force an unfavorable peace deal upon Ukraine comes amid the largest corruption scandal of Zelensky's presidency, which has outraged the public. The situation on the battlefield also remains increasingly difficult, while Russia continues to pound Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter, putting even greater strain on the Ukrainian people.
"(The leaked plan) will only result in Russia's war against Ukraine being resumed in a few years, with Russia getting a pause to recover and approach the next phase of the war with much greater strength and resources," Ariev said.
"All these plans are only aimed at Trump wanting to end this war as quickly as possible, which has turned out to be the most difficult for him, and to secure his final image as a peacekeeper."
Another lawmaker from the Holos party, Andrii Osadchuk, believes that the authors of the plan have a very "fuzzy understanding of law, ethics, morality, and international relations."
"And therefore, what they have crafted has no chance of gaining support, either from Ukraine or from European partners, without whom I believe any peace process is impossible," Osadchuk told the Kyiv Independent.
"There will never be peace without justice. And justice is not for trade."
A European top diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the 28-point peace plan as "terrible" and "suspiciously close to Russian maximalist demands." As they pointed out, this is "dangerous" for both Ukraine and the EU.
"All of our partners, and even some in the U.S., understand that this is not going to end in peace. This is just a pause before the next stage of the war," a senior Ukrainian diplomat told the Kyiv Independent.
Liubomyr Dmytryshyn, a 24-year-old veteran and activist, echoes their sentiment. He draws a parallel to Ukraine's signing of the Minsk Agreements in 2014, which froze the war in eastern Ukraine, but "eventually turned into an even greater disaster."
One of Russia's demands is the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donetsk Oblast, ravaged by war since 2014. According to Zelensky, after four years of full-scale war, Russia has occupied an additional one-third of Donetsk Oblast, now controlling 67 to 69% of the region as of August. He said it would take Moscow another four years to fully occupy the Donbas region, which Donetsk Oblast is part of.
"Even if Trump's plan becomes a reality, it will be nothing more than a rotten peace," Dmytryshyn said. "I fought in Donetsk Oblast not to hand it over to Russia without a fight as a sacrifice."
Bohdan Krotevych, the former commander of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, believes that the single point from the alleged plan regarding the reduction of Ukraine's military can be equated to "capitulation."
The leaked plan proposes to limit the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 600,000 personnel.
"No promises will protect us from the army of another state — only our own army can do that," Krotevych told the Kyiv Independent. "The better equipped and trained it is, the more effective the security guarantee will be."
Another controversy arose over the issue of the alleged "full amnesty." The plan reportedly originally proposed an audit of all international aid to Ukraine. But the language was later reportedly changed to offer "full amnesty for actions during the war" to all parties involved.
"I could understand why this clause would be removed by the Russians," Sovsun said. "I see no good reason for the Ukrainian side to be specifically removing this part of the plan, since there are so many more that are problematic."
Olena Halushka, head of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), said that discussing amnesty for the Russian atrocities in Mariupol and Bucha "would betray the interest of Ukrainians."
"There will never be peace without justice. And justice is not for trade," she told the Kyiv Independent.
For an officer with the call sign "Third" who has been fighting since 2014, the plan "changes nothing," he said, adding: "Whether the plan exists or not — we keep fighting."
