Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a draft of a proposed new peace plan from the US, his office confirmed in a statement on Thursday, calling it the "American side's assessment" which could "help reinvigorate diplomacy". The office also stated that Zelensky plans to discuss diplomatic opportunities with Donald Trump in the coming days. "The parties agreed to work on the plan's provisions in a way that would bring about a just end to the war," Kyiv said. "Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has supported President Trump's proposals aimed at ending the bloodshed. 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." Zelensky also confirmed that the plan was discussed at a meeting with the US Secretary of the Army, Daniel P Driscoll, in Kyiv earlier on Thursday. Without revealing details of the US proposal, Zelensky only said that the sides talked about "options for achieving real peace" and formats for dialogue between the US and Ukraine, as well as "new impulses for diplomacy". "Our teams — of Ukraine and the United States — will work on the provisions of the plan to end the war," Zelensky said in a post on X. "We are ready for constructive, honest and swift work." No information about the contents of the new peace proposal has been released by either Kyiv or Washington. According to several media reports, the plan repeats most of Russia's maximalist demands, which Moscow has maintained since the earliest days of its full-scale invasion and often cites as reasons the war started in the first place. US media reported that the plan includes calls for Kyiv to give up areas of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine that it still controls, significantly cut the size of its armed forces and surrender many of its weapons. The plan is believed to have been drafted by Russia's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who then passed it to US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and would see Kyiv required to make the most concessions. Dmitriev was in the US in October for talks with Washington officials, after a proposed meeting between Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin was cancelled. Dimitriev reportedly met Witkoff in Miami in late October for three days of talks. Zelensky's announcement comes after reports of a "secret" peace plan negotiated between the US and Russia which did not include Ukraine or any of its European allies. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Thursday evening that the plan had indeed been in the works. "Special envoy Steve Witkoff and (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio have been working on a plan quietly for about the last month," she told reporters. "They've been engaging with both sides, Russia and Ukraine equally, to understand what these countries would commit to in order to see a lasting and durable peace." Leavitt said that talks are continuing but she would not "litigate the details" of the plan. "It's a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine and we believe that it should be acceptable to both sides and we're working very hard to get it done." US Ambassador to Ukraine Julie S Davis also said on Thursday that "momentum is finally on the side of peace — the peace the Ukrainians have longed for." — Euronews
