A Serious Challenge
- 27.11.2025, 11:55
For the European Union and NATO, such an agreement is unacceptable.
The 28-point peace plan, informally dubbed the "Whitkoff Plan," was drafted in early November 2025 at the initiative of the Donald Trump administration. According to Western media investigations, it was developed by Trump's special envoy Steven Whitkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev at a meeting in Miami in October 2025. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was also involved in forming the plan. Donald Trump learned of the plan at the last minute and "gave the go-ahead" for its release, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was reportedly not fully briefed on it.
"The plan" exists only as a working draft. The Ukrainian and international community learned about it mainly through media leaks. The White House said that the plan does not yet have the status of an official agreement and "remains at the level of a general concept." The Russian side denies its involvement in the U.S. peace initiatives. Kremlin representatives claim that they allegedly knew nothing about any "peace proposals" on the part of the United States. Thus, the document looks more like a framework initiative of the US administration rather than an agreed interstate plan.
According to the leaks, the Whitkoff Plan envisages a number of tough restrictions for Ukraine and significant concessions to the Kremlin. One of the key provisions is for Ukraine to relinquish some of its territories. The plan actually requires Russia to recognize the occupied regions (Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, as well as parts of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson oblasts) as occupied. At the same time, Ukraine is formally "confirmed" its sovereignty outside these five regions.
The second group of provisions concerns the politico-military status. The plan proposes to grant Ukraine a neutral "non-NATO" status, and to exclude the stationing of any foreign troops on its territory. The Ukrainian army is called for a reduction (to 600,000 troops), banning certain types of weapons and equipment. As compensation, so-called "security guarantees" (including military ones) are envisioned. Formally from the US and Western partners, but with strict conditions (for example, the guarantees are canceled if Ukraine attacks Russia).
The plan also contains economic and social points. It is proposed to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine (according to the American draft, the US receives half of the proceeds from these funds). The leaks also sounded cultural and social norms.For example, granting Russian language an official status and recognizing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (although the public version lacks these points and says only "following the EU policy on language and religion"). A number of sources mention additional conditions: a general amnesty for those involved in the conflict, an exchange of prisoners according to the "all for all" formula, presidential elections in Ukraine, and the creation of a "peace council" under the auspices of Trump. All these provisions together look like an attempt to formalize the Kremlin's key demands (Ukraine's renunciation of annexed territories and NATO membership) in exchange for limited security guarantees for Ukraine, which, in fact, are presented as "compensation."
This plan poses a number of critical challenges for Ukraine and its allies. First, the requirements to actually curtail military capabilities (halving the army, giving up a significant part of weapons) make the country extremely vulnerable to new aggression. Also, the cessation of U.S. military assistance leaves Ukraine defenseless in the event of another offensive. From the point of view of internal security, the proposals on privileges for the Russian language and the church may destabilize the situation and increase internal division, as they do not comply with Ukrainian legislation on the state language.
For the European Union and NATO, such an agreement is also unacceptable. EU representatives have already stated that they have not seen "any concessions from Russia" and therefore the initiative looks completely unbalanced. According to the UN Charter and the Helsinki Act, no country has the right to impose the relinquishment of territory by force on another. Similarly, Ukraine's constitution guarantees the inviolability of its territory, and changing its borders requires an all-Ukrainian referendum. Therefore, as a result of protracted negotiations between Ukraine and the United States, the clauses on "non-NATO membership" and territorial changes were decided to be "put out of brackets" and passed to the level of presidents.
In addition, the plan contradicts Ukraine's main goals in this war. It actually excludes the possibility of full restoration of sovereignty over Crimea and Donbass. President Zelensky has already stated that Ukraine is not an obstacle to peace, but this peace must be just and dignified. Thus, the implementation of the "Whitkoff Plan" in the current version not only undermines Ukraine's defense capability, but also goes beyond any legitimate procedures in the state.
Since mid-November 2025, negotiations between Kiev and Washington to finalize the proposed text have been ongoing. Based on the results of the first meetings (in particular, in Geneva on November 23), the parties prepared an updated framework document. President Zelensky said that now the number of points is "less than 28" and "a lot of reasonable things" have been added to the plan. According to media reports, the controversial provisions on the number of AFU, Zaporizhzhya NPP and amnesty will be adjusted, while the fundamental issues of territories and NATO membership have been postponed for discussion at the level of presidents.
For the time being, the "Whitkoff Plan" is seen as a framework for further negotiations rather than a final agreement. The Ukrainian and US presidents are expected to decide on any agreements personally. Donald Trump has already said that hard deadlines are being reconsidered, calling the plan a "flexible, non-final proposal."
So, if the parties are willing to move forward, the "Whitkoff plan" could become the starting point of a compromise, but only after substantial reworking. The negotiators and politicians themselves will play a key role in its fate. If Russia does agree to a prolonged ceasefire and the U.S. and Europe provide Ukraine with serious security guarantees, a final peace document could be worked out on this basis. However, any solution will require a veto override and consideration of "sensitive" national interests. For now, the Whitkoff Plan remains at the stage of discussion, and its implementation in its original form is blocked by both legal norms and political reality.
Petr Oleshchuk, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at Taras Shevchenko National University, specially for Charter97.org.