by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] For a full day, hope for peace shone on the horizon of the Russian-Ukrainian war—after a number of Western media outlets simultaneously reported on a secret peace plan prepared by Moscow and Washington.
On the night of November 21, Ukrainian media outlets circulated a 28-point text of this agreement, which was then broadly confirmed by their Western counterparts and commented on by Zelenskyy at the end of the same day.
In a special video address, he called current events one of the most difficult moments in the country's history and made it clear that he wanted to amend the plan to ensure it reflected "the honor and dignity of Ukrainians":
"The pressure on Ukraine right now is at its most challenging. Ukraine could face a very difficult choice: loss of dignity or the threat of losing a key partner. Either the difficult 28 points, or a very difficult winter."
WHAT IS THE FIRST PROBLEM?
Under the agreement, reportedly negotiated by Donald Trump himself, the Kyiv regime must withdraw all troops from Donbas, and the LPR and DPR are de facto (and, through the United States, de jure) recognized as Russian territories. In Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the current front line becomes the demarcation line, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) resumes operations under IAEA supervision, and its power generation is divided equally between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukraine will adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and the protection of linguistic minorities, ban Nazi ideology on its territory, and hold elections within 100 days.
Furthermore, Russia and Ukraine sign a non-aggression agreement, guaranteed by the United States. The Ukrainian army is reduced to 600,000 troops, and Kyiv stipulates neutrality in its constitution (i.e., non-membership in NATO). NATO stipulates non-admission to Ukraine in its charter and, in general, pledges not to expand eastward, while Moscow guarantees non-aggression against Europe.
A large fund for Ukraine's recovery is also being created, with 100 billion euros of European funds and 100 billion euros of frozen Russian assets (as investments). The remaining frozen Russian assets will go into a special investment fund for joint Russian-American projects in Russia.
Finally, Russia will be reintegrated into the global economy and the G8, but the lifting of sanctions will be “discussed and agreed upon in stages and on a case-by-case basis.”
The text makes it clear that this is not the final document, but merely a draft—that is, a rough version, likely close to the final text. By all the rules of international relations, it should not have been published—such negotiations require silence. The White House stated that they intended to coordinate the text with Europe and Ukraine (since it was supposed to be signed by Russia, the US, Ukraine, the EU, and NATO).
However, the Ukrainian side published it precisely in order to bury it in the discussions.
And from Kyiv’s position this seems logical.
After all, when Trump's press secretary, Caroline Levitt, says that " this plan was designed based on the realities of the situation... to find a best-case scenario where both sides get more than they have to give," by "both sides," she apparently meant not Russia and Ukraine, but Russia and the United States.
Kyiv admits that accepting all 28 points would be a genuine catastrophe for today's Ukraine. The withdrawal of troops from the territories, the abandonment of demands for reparations, enormous financial and economic losses, and, most importantly, the abandonment of the core ideological tenets of the "Anti-Russia" state project (Russophobia, Banderaism, etc.) would spell its end.
"These twenty-eight points and all subsequent events that will occur, and everything that will happen in three months, in six months—this is the epitaph on the body of the Second Republic, which is perishing in this fire of war. This is the epitaph of human stupidity, which permeates the entire policy of the Second Ukrainian Republic. It led us to this altar on which Ukraine is crucified today," writes one of the most quoted Ukrainian journalists, Yuriy Romanenko.
On the other hand, an outright refusal to sign the agreement could provoke Trump's wrath. This would, at a minimum, result in new rounds of corruption scandal—perhaps even the appearance of Kyiv regime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy's voice on the "Mindich tapes."
Therefore, Kyiv adopted a multi-layered stance. On the one hand, Zelenskyy refused to say "no" and declared his readiness to work constructively "to ensure that at least two points of the plan are not overlooked."
" Our teams—Ukraine and the United States—will work on the plan to end the war. We are ready for constructive, honest, and prompt work... Peace is needed, and we appreciate the efforts of President Trump and his team to restore security to Europe," he said.
On the other hand, Zelensky's subordinates are saying that certain points of the agreement are unacceptable, making it clear that work on it will be extremely slow.
"Ukraine carefully examines every proposal from its partners and clearly articulates its own position. No decisions outside the framework of sovereignty, human security, and our red lines exist, nor can they exist," says National Security and Defense Council Head Rustem Umerov.
The lines were further clarified by Ukraine's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Khrystyna Gayovishin, who emphasized that "Ukrainian land is not for sale," sovereignty is not negotiable, and no one intends to grant rights to the Russian language.
Ukrainian top politicians also speak about the document's incorrect overall philosophy.
"No peace plan is possible if it is based on appeasing the aggressor... This can only bring more war and cruelty to Ukraine and all of Europe," says Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha. Ukrainian political scientists echo his sentiment, emphasizing the impossibility of reaching any agreements with Russia.
Since “for Russia, war is not a goal, but a means of implementing an aggressive foreign policy aimed at strengthening its influence in the world,” I am confident of this.Anatoly Pinchuk, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Eastern European Security, said that Russia could abandon this policy only if a serious socioeconomic crisis arises.
APPARENTLY INITIATED BY THE WEST.
In other words, the Ukrainian plan boils down to the standard strategy of stubbornly sticking to its guns, killing the agreement by hook or by crook with "a thousand amendments." Although implementation will be very difficult. The Americans have no intention of delaying. According to Reuters, the United States is demanding that Zelenskyy sign the document by November 27, threatening to deny him access to American weapons and intelligence otherwise.
However, here Europe comes to Ukraine's aid.
"The American proposal has caused alarm in European capitals, partly because they were completely excluded from the process of preparing it, and mainly because, in the words of one official, it amounts to nothing more than 'Putin's wish list,'" Politico writes.
And this list is a death sentence for Brussels, as it is for Kyiv. It not only confirms Russia's victory over Europe, but also (through clauses on Russian non-aggression guarantees and non-expansion of NATO to the east) undermines the European elites' rationale for militarization and consolidation against the common Russian enemy.
“These points look as if they were written in Moscow, ” says Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen indignantly.
This is why Europe has also expressed its willingness to “discuss” the US proposal.
"In my view, this isn't a plan, but merely a list of topics for discussion. And it's up to the negotiating parties to flesh them out," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Essentially, the EU supported Ukraine's fundamental objections.
In particular, he spoke out against plans to limit the Ukrainian army. Furthermore, the Europeans stated that the starting point for discussing territorial issues should be the current front line—in other words, they did not support the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the part of Donbas they occupy.
Bild reports that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz —the self-proclaimed leader of Europe, who recently announced his plans to make the Bundeswehr the most powerful army in the Old World—will lead the European resistance to Trump's plan. And this resistance is now taking shape.
European Council President António Costa stated that EU member states will discuss Trump's plan at the G20 summit. "The key principle we have always adhered to is important: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," the official added.
Brussels is counting on Trump ignoring their opinion." For any plan to work, Ukrainians and Europeans are needed," says European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. This means not the consent of those who must comply, but the acceptance of those who could help Kyiv violate the peace agreement.
The only question is how Trump will react to this double sabotage. The plan's authors should have anticipated the possibility of Ukrainian-European resistance—and now is the time to lay new cards on the diplomatic table.
Or to the military - depending on what the agreements were.