Negotiations between Ukraine and the US: the ‘peace plan’ has been reduced to 19 points - a serious scandal has erupted around the document

Negotiations between Ukraine and the United States on a new peace plan have reached a new level after the Geneva meeting, where the document was significantly revised and shortened. The political background became even more tense after the scandal with the leak of conversations indicating the possible influence of Russian proposals on the initial version of the plan. Find out how the key points of the document have changed and what is happening around the scandal

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The negotiation process surrounding the American ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine has unexpectedly entered a critical phase. The document, which Washington proposed as a basis for ending Russian aggression, was significantly revised during meetings between Ukrainian, American and European delegations on 23 November in Geneva. However, along with the update of the plan, a new international scandal arose — and for the first time, there were signs that some of the proposals could have been dictated by Moscow.

The plan was reduced from 28 to 19 points

According to the Financial Times, the parties agreed in Geneva to reduce the document from the initial 28 points to 19. European leaders directly warned that a number of provisions of the plan — primarily those concerning sanctions against Russia and the freezing of Russian assets — should be discussed exclusively within the EU, rather than in bilateral negotiations between the US and Ukraine.

After the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the final version must be approved by Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, after which the document will be sent to Moscow.

The initial version of the plan contained extremely controversial demands: Ukraine's renunciation of Donbas, reduction of the army to 600,000 troops, restrictions on armaments and concessions in the field of security. This provoked a harsh reaction in Kyiv and Europe, so the US agreed to revise the format.

Scandal: the plan could have been based on the Russian side

The most resonant part of the story is the leak of recordings published by Bloomberg. Journalists gained access to a telephone conversation between Donald Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff and Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, which took place on 14 November. The recordings reveal that:

Witkoff effectively instructed Ushakov on how to present Russian ideas to Trump in such a way that he would accept them as the basis for a ‘peace plan.’

Witkoff in conversation:

- advised organising a call from Putin to Trump before Zelensky's visit to the White House;

- suggested using the example of the Gaza agreement to exert emotional pressure;

- claimed that he ‘deeply respects Putin’ and is convinced that Russia ‘has always wanted peace’;

- mentioned a ‘20-point plan’ similar to the Russian document, which, according to him, had allegedly been discussed with Trump earlier.

Ushakov responded actively — according to Bloomberg's interlocutors, he did indeed pass on some of the recommendations to Putin.

During the conversation, Ushakov even agreed with the position that Putin could ‘welcome Trump’ by presenting himself as a peacemaker.

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Meetings with Russian representatives in Miami

The situation became even more confusing when it emerged that a few days later, Witkow personally met in Miami with Kirill Dmitriev, a negotiator close to the Kremlin.

At the same time, Dmitriev and Ushakov discussed how firmly Moscow should insist on its conditions and even considered the option of unofficially transferring the document to the United States so that Washington could adapt it to an acceptable format.

Bloomberg emphasises that it is impossible to determine exactly what advice formed the basis of the initial 28-point plan. But the similarities between the Russian proposals and the first version of the ‘US plan’ were too obvious — from the demands to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas to reducing the size of the army.

Trump's ultimatum and next steps

In parallel with the negotiations, Trump gave Kyiv an ultimatum: to accept the peace agreements by 27 November. However, after the meeting in Geneva, it became clear that the deadline could be postponed — Rubio publicly confirmed this.

The following agreements are now known:

1. Ukraine and the US have developed a framework document that will serve as the financial and security basis for the future agreement;

2. The final version will be finalised at a meeting between Zelensky and Trump, which Kyiv wants to hold as soon as possible;

3. US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will arrive in Kyiv this week to agree on the final points;

Vitkoff plans to hold talks with Putin, while Driscoll will meet with the Ukrainian side.

After the Geneva meeting, Kyiv and Washington issued a joint statement emphasising that there is no final text yet, only a framework.

Reminder! Trump's new ‘peace plan’ has been one of the most discussed topics of the past week. The document, which the US has not officially announced but whose details have been widely published by Western media, is causing serious concern in Ukraine and Europe. Find out what exactly the US is proposing, how Ukraine is responding, and when Washington expects to receive Ukraine's decision.

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