A sudden and controversial 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, presented by the Trump administration as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, has ignited significant confusion and backlash. The plan, which was delivered to Kyiv mere days ago, is now at the centre of a political firestorm as questions emerge about Moscow's substantial role in its development.
Secret Negotiations and a Thanksgiving Deadline
The framework was largely the result of several weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations between Steve Witkoff, a U.S. special envoy, and his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev. These critical talks notably excluded not only Ukraine and its European allies but also key officials within the U.S. government itself.
Faced with an ultimatum and a Thanksgiving holiday deadline, European officials are now in a frantic scramble. Their mission is to buy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy more time by preparing a counter-proposal on how to end the war. This European alternative is slated for presentation to U.S. officials on Sunday in Switzerland.
Alarm Bells and An Unusual Messenger
The alarm for European capitals was triggered by the emergence of an unexpected player: U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. A close friend of Vice President JD Vance from their Yale Law School days, Driscoll was the one who conveyed the urgent message to European ambassadors and Ukrainian officials. He stated that President Donald Trump had run out of patience and that Kyiv must agree to concede territory.
The choice of messenger was telling. This weighty diplomatic assignment, typically handled by high-level figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was instead given to a figure closely aligned with the vice president. This highlighted internal divisions, with Vance known for a more isolationist stance and Rubio being far warier of Russian manipulation.
European leaders and Zelenskyy, having been entirely shut out of the process, first needed to understand the plan's origins. As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pointedly asked on X, "Before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created."
The Miami Meeting and a Rushed Approval
The picture that eventually emerged traces the plan's genesis to a meeting in October in Miami. It was there that Witkoff and Dmitriev forged the agreement, in a meeting that also included Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, who had previously collaborated with Witkoff on an Israel-Gaza peace deal.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not fully briefed until very late in the process. Even President Trump himself was reportedly informed at the last minute, but he ultimately blessed the plan once briefed. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A potential deal would offer Trump a significant foreign policy victory amid a domestic political slump, following his party's poor performance in early November elections. This has raised concerns that the rushed peace plan may be influenced by domestic political considerations as much as by geopolitical strategy.
