Headline Roundup • November 20th, 2025
Trump’s New Ukraine Peace Plan Reportedly Includes Territorial Concessions
Ukraine War,Ukraine,Russia,United States,Donald Trump,Vladimir Putin,Volodymyr Zelensky,Eastern Europe,NATO,Europe
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Several mainstream outlets reported the existence of a Ukraine peace plan drafted by the Trump administration that would see Ukraine cede significant territory to Russia in exchange for American security guarantees.
The Details: According to Axios (Lean Left bias), under the new plan, Russia would gain full de facto control of Donetsk and Luhansk, which it currently controls about 85% of. The parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that Ukraine has to withdraw from would become demilitarized zones. In Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the lines of control would be “mostly frozen in place, with Russia returning some land, subject to negotiations.” A Ukrainian official reportedly told Axios the plan included limitations on the size of Ukraine’s military and weaponry in exchange for American security guarantees.
Past Proposals: Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June 2024 that in order to reach a ceasefire, Ukraine would have to cede the four territories – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. In February 2025, Russian and American delegations met in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine, and Russia reportedly demanded full control of these four territories. The Kremlin later said this condition was “non-negotiable.” Shortly thereafter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not recognize the territories as Russian as part of any peace deal.
Recent Developments: US envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for talks in Ankara on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other top military officials visited Kyiv to talk to Ukrainian officials about the plan. On Sunday, Zelenskyy signed a gas deal with the US.
How The Media Covered It: Axios, Reuters (Center), and Financial Times (Center) offered exclusive reporting. Reuters wrote that “such a plan would represent a major setback for Kyiv.” ZeroHedge (Lean Right) opened by writing, “It looks like for the first time Washington is getting serious about ending the Ukraine war.”
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The new Trump plan to end the war in Ukraine would grant Russia parts of eastern Ukraine it does not currently control, in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression, a U.S. official with direct knowledge told Axios.
Why it matters: Ukraine and its backers would see that as an enormous concession to Russia. The White House view, according to the U.S. official, is that Ukraine is likely to lose the territory anyways if the war continues and "therefore it is in Ukraine's...
The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the proposals included cutting the size of Ukraine's armed forces, among other things. Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main points, they said.
It looks like for the first time Washington is getting serious about ending the Ukraine war, now apparently offering territorial concessions. And the Trump White House is reportedly leaning on President Zelensky to accept, per the FT:
“According to people with direct knowledge of the document, the draft plan would require Ukraine to cede the remainder of the eastern Donbas region — including land currently under Kyiv control — and cut the size of its armed forces by half.
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