The diplomatic situation around Ukraine has begun to change rapidly again. The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius writes that with the emergence of the new peace plan, Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced one of the most difficult and responsible choices during his presidency. The journalist interacted with several White House sources and wrote in detail about their plan items, how they came about, and when work on the document began.
It turned out that the initial negotiations on the peace proposal began more than a month ago. The process accelerated further at the end of last week after Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, expressed his readiness to meet with Donald Trump's special representative, Steve Whitkoff, in Florida. Ignatius's sources stated that the Trump administration assessed the corruption scandal in Kyiv and the Ukrainian army's failures in the Donetsk direction as leading to a sharp turning point. Therefore, Washington decided to look for a new way to end this war.
At the meeting in Florida, Umerov allegedly said that Zelenskyy could reach a certain compromise on Donbas and consider limiting the number of troops to 600,000, the article says. Umerov himself denied these claims, stating that he only performed technical tasks.
Nevertheless, a clause on limiting the number of Ukrainian armed forces did indeed appear in the peace plan. European leaders did not support this proposal. Sources at The Washington Post emphasize that the document was presented to Kyiv not as pressure, but as a flexible basis for discussion.
In an interview with a journalist, one of the American officials said:
"Ukrainian sovereignty should never be jeopardized. Otherwise, the door will open to problems throughout Europe. We will not allow Ukraine to collapse," the official said.
The Trump administration itself is reportedly ready to review some clauses. In particular, the issue of easing or abolishing the limit on the number of troops is being discussed. It was also reported that the issue of delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after the war is being considered as a deterrent. The European side is cautiously approaching this option due to Russia's strong opposition.
He added that the Trump administration intends to continue exchanging intelligence with Ukraine. Earlier, Reuters wrote that Ukraine's rejection of the peace plan could end with the end of data exchange, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was unaware of this threat.
Ignatius's sources also commented on the clause that would force Ukraine to hold elections 100 days after the signing of the agreement. According to him, this was introduced taking into account the background of political instability: elections were seen as a way for the people to ratify the peace treaty. At the same time, it is said that the amnesty clause is aimed at protecting Zelenskyy and his government from liability in case of an escalating corruption scandal.
The journalist emphasized that the Trump administration is also trying to prove that this plan is not "one-sided aid to Russia." In his opinion, the most important arbitrator on this issue will be Zelenskyy himself: if the president approves the plan, responsibility will pass to Moscow; if he rejects it, the war is likely to continue for another year.
This process could usher in a new era for Ukraine, Europe, and the United States. The choice facing Zelenskyy is likely to determine the geopolitical balance in the entire region.
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