Global & US Headlines
Leaked 28-Point Trump–Russia Draft Pressures Ukraine to Cede Donbas, Halve Army
On 19 Nov 2025 media leaked a joint back-channel plan, brokered by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev, that asks President Zelensky to surrender the remaining Donbas, slash Ukraine’s forces by 50 %, and accept curtailed U.S. arms support.
Focusing Facts
- Draft delivered this week in Miami to Ukrainian security chief Rustem Umerov lists 28 points including withdrawal from ~12 % of Donbas still held by Kyiv and a troop cap of roughly 125,000 personnel.
- Plan was negotiated without Congress, NATO or EU involvement; top U.S. commanders (Sec. Army Daniel Driscoll, Gen. Randy George) arrived in Kyiv 19 Nov to push cease-fire talks.
- Simultaneously, Russian drone-missile strikes killed 25 civilians in Ternopil, underscoring active hostilities during peace push.
Context
Great-power diktats to smaller nations echo the 1918 Brest-Litovsk treaty, where a collapsing Russia ceded vast lands to exit WWI, and the 1938 Munich accords that redrew Czechoslovakia’s borders without Prague’s consent. The draft reflects a century-long pattern: when wars stalemate and domestic costs mount, outside powers seek ‘peace’ by freezing lines and limiting the beaten side’s army (see 1973 Paris Accords in Vietnam). Today’s proposal signals Washington’s pivot from open-ended aid toward risk-containment, and Moscow’s wager that U.S. fatigue outweighs Ukrainian sovereignty. Whether accepted or not, it foreshadows a future in which mid-sized states may find their security guarantees traded in great-power bargains—an unsettling precedent for the next 100 years of European order.
Perspectives
Left leaning media
The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera — Describe the 28-point proposal as a Russian-tilted capitulation that would force Ukraine to surrender territory and sovereignty. Stories stress civilian casualties and condemn Trump’s role, reflecting a long-standing editorial hostility to the former president and favouring a tougher stance on Moscow.
Centrist business & political insider outlets
Axios, Financial Times — Frame the plan as a pragmatic framework acknowledging Ukraine’s likely battlefield losses while offering security guarantees to end the war. Sourcing is heavy on anonymous officials and market reactions, which can normalise major concessions by echoing Washington calculations about ‘inevitability’ rather than moral questions.
Right-leaning or populist pro-Trump commentary sites
Zero Hedge, ProtoThema — Portray the secret 28-point initiative as proof of Trump’s deal-making skill, with Moscow finally ‘being heard’ and peace within reach. Coverage echoes Kremlin narratives and spotlights Trump’s achievements while minimising Ukrainian opposition and the absence of Kyiv or European voices at the table.