European leaders are preparing their own proposal to end the war in Ukraine within days, offering alternative terms to the Trump administration's peace framework, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The White House confirmed the authenticity of a 28-point draft plan that demands Ukraine cede the Donbas Oblast currently under its control to Moscow and accept Russia's de facto control of other territories where the front line would be frozen. Ukraine's military would be capped at 600,000 personnel, and the country's NATO membership aspirations would be foreclosed.
"This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of the situation, after four years of a devastating war, to find the best win-win scenario, where both parties gain more than they must give," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The framework offers Moscow substantial incentives: an invitation to rejoin the Group of Eight, case-by-case lifting of sanctions, and collaboration with Washington on artificial intelligence, data centers, energy deals and rare-earth mining in the Arctic. The US would also recognize Russia's de facto control of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea.
Ukraine would retain the right to join the European Union and receive security guarantees for 10 years, including "intelligence and logistical assistance" or "other steps judged appropriate" after consultations with allies. However, the document does not commit the US to provide direct military assistance, according to a copy reviewed by the Journal.
Leavitt said that Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council, had endorsed "the majority of the plan" in talks with US officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky took a conciliatory stance after receiving a briefing Thursday, saying he was ready to work with the US on halting the war.
But Ukraine's deputy permanent UN representative struck a different tone at the Security Council. "Ukraine won't accept any limits on its right to self-defense, or on the size or capabilities of our armed forces," Khrystyna Hayovyshyn said.
European officials told the Journal they were neither included in drafting the 28-point plan nor briefed on its contents as of Thursday evening. They are now working to persuade Kyiv to back their alternative framework, which is designed to be more favorable to Ukraine. Kyiv has not yet committed to joining the European plan.
The proposal also calls for Ukraine to hold elections in 100 days, which could see Zelenskyy ousted as his administration faces a mounting corruption scandal. A peace council chaired by Trump would oversee implementation, and the US would rebuild Ukraine's gas pipelines and help create a fund for artificial-intelligence projects and data centers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 20 Novermber that the Russian and US sides were not actively engaged in discussing a cease-fire and that any deal needed to address the root causes of the war—Moscow's shorthand for its displeasure over NATO's eastern expansion, Ukraine's pro-Western tilt and the West's dismissal of Russia as a great power.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said "any peace deal probably should come before the Senate," adding: "I think they need to read us in on what they are going to do."
According to Politico, the plan has caused alarm in European capitals, where it has been characterized as "Putin's wish list."
