A reported draft peace framework from the United States, outlining a negotiated settlement to end the war, has sparked strong and deeply unsettled reactions among senior Ukrainian officials.

The proposal allegedly demands major concessions, including territorial losses, military restrictions, and constitutional non-alignment, which Kyiv views as fundamentally unacceptable and a reward for Russian aggression.

The Office of the President confirmed receiving a draft document from Washington aimed at exploring a peace settlement. While public statements from the presidential office have been measured, Ukrainian media outlets report a response behind the scenes that was "angry and deeply unsettled," citing the perceived imbalance of the terms.

Reported Elements Echo Moscow's Demands

Details of the proposal, widely reported by international outlets citing diplomatic sources, including a purported 28-point plan covering nine chapters, have caused the most concern. Former Verkhovna Rada MP Artem Dmytruk allegedly published the core tenets, which closely mirror long-standing Russian maximalist demands.

Key alleged elements of the US-drafted plan include Ukraine relinquishing control over the remaining non-occupied areas of Donbas, along with international recognition of Crimea and parts of Donbas as Russian territory; the adoption of a constitutionally guaranteed non-aligned status that would permanently block future NATO membership; the imposition of military restrictions limiting the size and capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces while banning foreign troops and long-range Western weapons from Ukrainian soil; and cultural concessions involving legal guarantees for Russian language rights as well as formal recognition of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The debate intensified after reports from Axios and the Financial Times suggested the proposal had been quietly drafted by US and Russian officials through backchannels, before being presented to Kyiv.

Kyiv's Pushback and Sovereignty Concerns

The reported terms have drawn sharp criticism, with many viewing them as an attempt to pressure Ukraine into a position of capitulation.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reportedly warned EU foreign ministers that the plan, as described, would amount to forcing Ukraine to surrender key national interests. The Kyiv Post also reported widespread "private outrage," with political figures stating the terms would undermine Ukraine's sovereignty.

Ukrainian leaders stressed that any legitimate peace framework must align with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Peace Formula, which maintains that Kyiv's right to determine its own security alliances and rejects any territorial concessions.

While the US has not publicly confirmed the specific details of the 28-point document, diplomatic discussions with Washington and international partners are expected to continue in the coming days as Ukraine attempts to shape the framework to align with its core principles. (ILKHA)