US Peace Plan for Ukraine Faces Scrutiny After Link to Russian Document

Post by : Saif Nasser

The debate around the U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine has intensified after new information revealed that the 28-point proposal drew heavily from a Russian-authored document. According to multiple sources, Moscow shared this draft with senior U.S. officials in mid-October, only days after President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington. The Russian “non-paper,” an unofficial diplomatic document, repeated several demands that the Kremlin had pushed since the start of the war. These included major concessions from Ukraine, such as giving up large parts of its eastern territory, which Kyiv has rejected many times. This is the first confirmed link showing that the Russian draft became a key input in shaping the American peace proposal.

While the U.S. State Department, Russia, and Ukraine have not commented on the report, the White House pointed to Trump’s statement expressing confidence in the plan. He said that special envoy Steve Witkoff had been instructed to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll would meet Ukrainian officials at the same time. What remains unclear is why the Trump administration relied on a Russian text while preparing a U.S. plan. Several senior American officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reportedly believed that Ukraine would reject the plan immediately because it mirrored Moscow’s long-held positions.

After Russia submitted the document, Rubio held a call with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov where the draft was discussed. Rubio later told reporters in Geneva that he had received “numerous written non-papers,” without giving more details. However, skepticism has risen sharply in Washington and Europe after the plan became public. Many U.S. lawmakers and officials now see the proposal as leaning too closely toward Russian demands, rather than presenting a neutral path to peace. Despite these concerns, the U.S. has continued to pressure Ukraine by warning that military support could be reduced if Kyiv refused to negotiate.

The plan was partly developed during a meeting in Miami that included Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of a major Russian sovereign wealth fund. Very few officials inside the State Department or White House were informed of this meeting, raising further questions about the transparency of the process. Another report suggested that Witkoff even advised senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov about how Putin should speak to Trump, with discussions of a possible “20-point plan” taking place in mid-October. Over time, this expanded to the 28-point proposal that was later shared more widely.

The proposal caused strong backlash across capitals when it emerged. According to reports, nine of the original 28 points have now been removed after intense discussions between U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators also said that Rubio privately described the plan as a Russian wish list, although the White House has denied this claim. Despite the controversy, diplomacy has accelerated, with a senior U.S. delegation working to modify the proposal in Geneva. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Dan Driscoll is holding talks with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, where Ukrainian officials are also meeting the American team to address their concerns and push back against clauses seen as unfair.

The discovery that a Russian document shaped key elements of the U.S. plan has raised serious questions about the direction of American diplomacy, the pressure placed on Ukraine, and the broader balance of power in peace negotiations. As discussions continue across multiple countries, the future of the proposal remains uncertain, and so does the path toward ending the war.