Ukrainian officials on Thursday rejected a new US-Russia peace plan. They called it “absurd” and completely unacceptable. Despite this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to discuss the plan with US President Donald Trump soon.

A Guardian report said Kirill Dmitriev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, drafted the proposal. Officials in Kyiv said the plan was a “provocation” meant to cause divisions among Ukraine’s partners and “disorient” its international supporters.

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s foreign policy committee, said, “There are currently no signs that the Kremlin is ready for serious negotiations. Putin is trying to stall for time and avoid US sanctions.” He dismissed Dmitriev as a “nobody”.

Kyiv Calls Proposal Soviet-Style Operation

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said the proposal was unrealistic. He called it a classic Soviet-style information operation designed to shape opinion and spread panic.

Media reports said the 28-point plan copied Russia’s demands from early 2022. Russian and US officials reportedly drafted it with Trump’s support. They did so without consulting Kyiv.

The plan asks Ukraine to give up the northern part of Donbas that it controls. It also asks Ukraine to cut its army by half and drop long-range weapons. The deal bans foreign troops from Ukraine. This would block any UK- or France-led peacekeeping mission. The US would offer only vague security guarantees. Under Kremlin demands, the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church would get formal recognition.

Ukrainian officials said the proposal amounted to surrender and the end of Ukraine’s sovereignty. It surfaced nearly four years after Russia failed to capture Kyiv and at a time when US mediation remains stuck.

Zelenskyy Meets US Official

Zelenskyy met US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in Kyiv on Thursday. Driscoll visited to study the war and Ukraine’s drone production. It is unclear if they discussed the draft plan.

Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, resigned. Reports said he was sidelined from US-Russia talks because he backed Ukraine too strongly.

The new pressure on Ukraine comes amid Zelenskyy’s biggest domestic crisis since 2019. His former business partner Timur Mindich and two ministers face bribery accusations. Lawmakers from his party want him to fire his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.

A Western diplomat said Russia was trying to exploit the turmoil. “It seems Dmitriev has spun this plan at a time when Zelenskyy is weak. The Russians are good at exploiting things,” the diplomat said. “It feels like every other Russian plan. I don’t think it’s going to fly with Ukraine.” The diplomat also said Moscow’s language demands were a “hook” for future pressure and noted the proposal lacked essential security guarantees.

Europe Not Consulted

European officials in Brussels said the US did not consult them before presenting the plan. A Guardian source said the Trump administration weakened its leverage by stopping direct military aid to Kyiv.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Europe must be consulted. “We commend peace efforts, but Europe is the main supporter of Ukraine and it’s, of course, Europe’s security that’s at stake.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe wants a lasting and just peace. But she stressed, “For any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board.” She said the Dmitriev-Witkoff plan offered no real concessions from Moscow. “We have to understand that in this war, there is one aggressor and one victim.”

The UK supported Trump’s wish to end the war but said only Ukrainians can decide their future. It added that Russia could stop the war immediately by withdrawing troops and ending its “illegal invasion.”

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller did not comment on the plan. But he said Trump wants “to reach a settlement in the Ukraine-Russia war” and end the killing of innocents.

US Mediation Struggles

US efforts have struggled since Trump met Putin in Alaska in August. Washington later sanctioned Russia’s oil sector, hoping to push Moscow into talks. Trump also delayed a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest. He said he did not want it to be a “waste of time.”

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Both leaders again supported a peaceful solution.

Meanwhile, Russia intensified strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. Several western cities suffered outages. In Ternopil, a strike killed 26 people, including three children.

Zelenskyy Receives Draft US Plan

Zelenskyy has now received the draft US peace plan. His office said he expects to discuss it with Trump in the coming days. Reuters reported that Washington signalled Ukraine must accept the framework, which includes territorial losses and limits on its military. European allies warned that such terms equal capitulation.

Zelenskyy’s office did not comment on the details. But it said he had “outlined the fundamental principles that matter to our people.” It added, “We are ready now, as before, to work constructively with the American side, as well as with our partners in Europe and around the world, so that the outcome is peace.”

The office said Zelenskyy plans to talk with Trump soon about diplomatic options and key requirements to achieve peace.