On Nov. 19, 2025, the press was informed of an American-backed proposal to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Written in collaboration with Russian officials, the plan seeks to end the conflict on mutually acceptable terms, although many have argued that this is not the case.
The peace plan comprises 28 points that encapsulate the doctrines both Ukraine and Russia must accept to end the war. Notable points include:
- Ukraine will preserve its sovereignty.
- Ukraine, Russia and Europe will sign a non-aggression pact that also settles three decades of “ambiguities.”
- Russia won’t invade neighboring countries; NATO won’t expand.
- The U.S. will oversee talks between Russia and NATO to de-escalate tensions and resolve disputes.
- Ukraine will receive security guarantees.
- Ukraine’s military will be limited to 600,000 members.
- Ukraine will never join NATO, and NATO will bar Ukraine from joining likewise.
- Ukraine will lose American protection if it takes military action against Russia. Similarly, if Russia attacks Ukraine, it will lose all ceded Ukrainian land, in addition to full-fledged American sanctions and military response.
- Ukraine will be allowed into the EU and will gain special access to the European market pending its acceptance.
- America and the World Bank will support and finance the rebuilding of Ukrainian infrastructure.
- The United States and Russia will work to extend and expand nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
- Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk will be recognized as Russian territory and control Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The Donetsk Oblast will serve as a demilitarized zone unoccupied by either faction. All other Ukrainian territories are to be reoccupied by Ukraine.
- A committee will be formed to resolve outstanding humanitarian issues, including but not limited to separated families, prisoners of war and civilian hostages.
- Both factions will receive full amnesty for crimes committed in combat and must not pursue legal recourse in the future.
- Acceptance of the plan by both sides will result in an immediate ceasefire following the return of troops to designated lines.
From its announcement, the Trump administration’s peace plan has met heavy flak for several reasons. Most notably, the proposal has been traced to Russia’s own plans, which emphasized conditions for the ceasefire favorable to itself.
The Russian paper, submitted to the United States in October, specifically highlighted massive cessions of eastern Ukrainian land to Russia, a condition mirrored in the American 28-point plan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since argued that “security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe,” opposing the passage of a solely American-authored peace plan.
Since then, members of the “coalition of willing allies,” European nations in support of Ukrainian diplomacy in the ongoing conflict, have proffered amendments to the 28-point plan’s conditions. Namely, negotiations for land cessions to Russia will commence only after a ceasefire has been enacted.
In a post on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote, “The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.” His statement reflects a growing willingness by world leaders to end the bloodbath in Ukraine.
In the following week, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the proposal and clarify disagreements.
In spite of the unprecedented levels of cooperation between the nations of the Russo-Ukrainian War, many doubts still linger among Americans.
Foremost, the precedent for a modern ceasefire, particularly curated by President Trump, is rocky. In a similar fashion to Nov. 19, the Trump administration unveiled a 20-point peace plan to enact a ceasefire on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While both factions signed off on the deal, flagrant violations of the pact have since occurred that undermine any hopes for peace in the region.
More unexpectedly, however, further criticism of Trump’s negotiations for peace has come from Republican lawmakers, specifically concerning his envoy, Steve Witkoff.
In a damning release by Bloomberg, the content of two phone calls between Witkoff and the Kremlin’s Yuri Ushakov was leaked to the public. In each call, Witkoff was revealed to have allegedly instructed Ushakov in how to gain Trump’s favor ahead of formal negotiations.
With many Americans opposed to the Russian-sourced 28-point plan, the report has only fueled the fire.
Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) wrote on X, “It is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians. He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”
Similarly, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PN) stated on X, “This is a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop. Allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to do his job in a fair and objective manner.”
Democratic Representative Ted Lieu resonated with these statements, saying, “Actual traitor. Steve Witkoff is supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.”
Generally, many Americans’ skepticism comes from the Trump administration’s controversial reputation. Clifford Cawthon, a Bellevue College professor of political science, gave an overarching statement representative of this viewpoint to The Watchdog.
“The Trump administration’s actions have certainly been shocking . . . The Trump administration is doing things that are undermining the idea of America first . . . Donald Trump seems to be keener on collaborating with authoritarians and also upending about 50 years of U.S. foreign policy,” Cawthon stated.
Skepticism of any government action, domestic or foreign, is always warranted, as is optimism. Since the Feb. 24, 2022 onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, countless families on both sides have been torn apart.
With modern conflict between the nations dating back to the 2014 invasion of Crimea, a peace accord was signed to mark the end of more than a decade of fighting, chaos and death. The only question remains: How much will world leaders sacrifice to grant their people this blessing?
