As US officials arrive in Ukraine to discuss ending war, peace plan may ask Kyiv to cede territory and trim forces
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that Washington “will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.”
November 20, 2025 09:39 AM IST
First published on: Nov 20, 2025 at 09:39 AM IST
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that only the United States and Donald Trump “have sufficient strength for the war to finally come to an end.” (AP Photo)
A US peace plan under discussion with Russia may require Ukraine to give up territory, surrender some weapons and reduce the size of its armed forces, reported Reuters citing sources familiar with the matter. The sources said Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main points of the draft framework, which Ukraine did not help prepare.
Reuters reported that the proposals include cutting troop numbers and ceding parts of eastern Ukraine, at a moment when Russian forces are advancing on the battlefield and Ukraine is dealing with a corruption scandal that led to the dismissal of its energy and justice ministers.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that Washington “will continue to develop a list of potential ideas for ending this war based on input from both sides of this conflict.” He added: “Ending a complex and deadly war such as the one in Ukraine requires an extensive exchange of serious and realistic ideas. And achieving a durable peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions.”
A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv had only received “signals” about a set of US proposals discussed with Moscow.
Senior US officials arrive in Kyiv
A US delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday on what the US military described as a “factfinding mission” to “discuss efforts to end the war,” the BBC reported, citing a statement from Army spokesman Col David Butler.
Driscoll is accompanied by Army Chief of Staff Gen Randy George, top US Army commander in Europe Gen Chris Donahue, and Sgt Maj of the Army Michael Weimer. They are the most senior US military officials to visit Kyiv since President Trump took office.
Driscoll was seen meeting Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, who said on X they focused on “the next steps for implementing the historic defence agreements reached by President Zelenskyy and President Trump.”
Shmyhal also thanked Washington for approving “the sale of a support package for the PATRIOT air-defence system worth approximately $105 million.”
What Zelenskyyy said on US involvement
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in Turkey on Wednesday, did not directly reference the reported plan but said Ukraine needed strong US leadership to end the conflict. On Telegram, he wrote: “The main thing for stopping the bloodshed and achieving lasting peace is that we work in coordination with all our partners and that American leadership remains effective, strong.”
He added that only the United States and Donald Trump “have sufficient strength for the war to finally come to an end.”
Despite reports of new diplomatic activity, Russia has not softened its conditions for ending the nearly four-year-old war, Reuters noted. President Vladimir Putin continues to demand that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw from four regions Moscow claims as Russian territory.
Russian forces currently control about 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory and continue to advance gradually, while launching regular attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to downplay reports of a new peace plan, telling Russian state media: “In this case, we have no additional innovations to what we call ‘the spirit of Anchorage’,” referring to the August summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska.
Ukraine has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that only the United States and Donald Trump “have sufficient strength for the war to finally come to an end.” (AP Photo) 
