U.S. President Donald Trump has introduced a peace plan to end the long-running Russia–Ukraine war. He says his proposal could “lead to something good,” but Ukraine and its European partners believe many parts of the plan favor Russia.
One main point of the plan is to limit Ukraine’s army to 600,000 troops and to write in its constitution that the country will not join NATO. NATO would also have to promise not to accept Ukraine as a member or deploy NATO troops there.
Another part of the plan says the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would be operated by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the electricity it produces would be shared equally between Russia and Ukraine.
The most difficult issue is territory. The first draft said Ukraine and the U.S. should recognize Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as Russian territory. It also suggested withdrawing Ukrainian troops from areas they still control to create a neutral buffer zone.
The plan also asks Ukraine to hold a national election within 100 days and includes full amnesty for all sides in the war.
After talks in Geneva, the Trump administration changed several points. The plan was reduced from 28 to 19 proposals. Ukraine and European countries say any talks about territory must start from the current battle lines, and that occupied regions cannot be recognized as Russian land.
Ukrainian delegates who returned from Geneva told President Zelensky that the new version is more realistic, and the U.S. has agreed to include European countries in future discussions.