Opinion Trump’s Ukraine plan crosses Kyiv’s red lines
For Delhi, the prospect of rival powers warming up to each other is sobering, especially as India now faces an additional 25 per cent US tariff as a penalty on purchases of Russian crude. Delhi must navigate the US-Russia binary with care
For Delhi, the prospect of rival powers warming up to each other is sobering, especially as India now faces an additional 25 per cent US tariff as a penalty on purchases of Russian crude. 
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine offers substantial concessions to Russia. In mid-October, he had urged Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and proposed an end to the conflict by allowing the Donbas region, the majority of which is under Russian control, to “be cut the way it is”. The new plan advances that proposal. Its first sub-point under item 21 states: “Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be recognised as de facto Russian, including by the US.” Other concessions include barring Ukraine from joining NATO, reducing its military capacity, lifting sanctions on Russia — even as Moscow is to be hit by Trump’s sanctions on its largest oil firms from November 21 — and paving the way for its reintegration into the global economy through the G8. Not only do these cross Ukraine’s red lines, they also mirror Moscow’s maximalist positions articulated after its invasion. Yet the plan, drafted by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was reportedly prepared without consulting either Ukraine or Europe, consistent with Trump’s unilateral style of deal-making.
Two things are clear. First, Ukraine is significantly weakened. Russia has intensified its air strikes, and in Kyiv, a corruption scandal has engulfed the Volodymyr Zelenskyy government. The Ukrainian President’s cautious response — that he is ready for “constructive” and “honest” work — reflects this fragility. Second, Trump, by far the most “pro-Russia” US President since the Cold War, is pressing ahead with his bid to reset Washington-Moscow relations, even if it emboldens Putin and leaves Europe more insecure with Russia edging closer to its eastern flank.
For Delhi, the prospect of rival powers warming up to each other is sobering, especially as India now faces an additional 25 per cent US tariff as a penalty on purchases of Russian crude. Delhi must navigate the US-Russia binary with care, deepening its strategic partnership with the US while preserving long-standing defence ties with Russia. The next milestone in the road ahead will be Putin’s upcoming India visit.
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