 "Kyiv hopes Washington can pressure Moscow into negotiations. (AFP)")
The Trump administration has been secretly consulting with Russia to develop a new plan to end the war in Ukraine , according to US and Russian officials speaking to Axios. The 28-point proposal draws inspiration from President Trump’s push for an agreement in Gaza. A senior Russian official told Axios that he is optimistic about the initiative, though it is not yet clear how Ukraine or its European partners will respond.
Sources told the outlet that the plan is divided into four broad themes: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, European security, and the future of US relations with both Russia and Ukraine. However, the approach to key disputes, including territorial control in eastern Ukraine, remains unclear. Russian forces have been making incremental gains but still hold far less territory than the Kremlin has demanded.
Behind the scenes, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the drafting process and has held extensive discussions with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a US official said. Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and plays a central role in diplomacy over Ukraine, told the outlet he spent three days in Miami from October 24 to 26 working closely with Witkoff and other Trump advisers. He said he was encouraged by the effort, adding that “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.”
Ukrainian meetings, White House briefings and European outreach underway
Witkoff had been scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday in Turkey but postponed the trip, Ukrainian and US officials said. A Ukrainian official confirmed that Witkoff met Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, earlier this week in Miami to discuss the plan. “We know the Americans are working on something,” the official said.
A White House official told Axios, “The president has been clear that it is time to stop the killing and make a deal to end the war. President Trump believes that there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown.”
Dmitriev said the concept behind the proposal was to build on principles agreed upon by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Alaska in August. He described the emerging document as a wider framework addressing the Ukraine conflict, the restoration of US–Russia ties, and Russia’s broader security concerns. He said the intention was to produce a written version before the next Trump–Putin meeting, though plans for a Budapest summit remain on hold.
He stressed that the effort was unrelated to a UK-led initiative to create a Gaza-style peace plan for Ukraine, which he argued would fail because it overlooked Russia’s positions. According to Dmitriev, the US side is now explaining the “benefits” of the new proposal to Ukrainian and European counterparts, against what he described as a backdrop of growing Russian battlefield gains.
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View AllA US official confirmed that the White House has started briefing European governments as well as Ukraine. The official said the administration believes there is a realistic chance of securing support from both Kyiv and European capitals, adding that the plan would be adjusted in response to feedback. “We think the timing is good for this plan now. But both parties need to be practical and realistic,” the official said.