Analysis/ What's new in the US-Russia plan for Ukraine?

2025-11-20 12:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Moscow's plan for Ukraine, which was reportedly recently presented to the US, reiterates most of the Kremlin's demands, including the cession of territory to Kiev and the demilitarization of Ukraine. What is new about this alleged framework is the timing of Russia's push for it.

According to recent reports, Russia has conveyed to Washington its latest framework proposal to end its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The plan reiterates most of Russia's demands, which Moscow has put forward since the early days of its full-scale invasion, and often refers to them as the reasons why it started the war in the first place.

US media reports that the plan includes calls for Kiev to give up the areas of Donbas in eastern Ukraine it still controls, significantly reduce the size of its armed forces and even give up many of its weapons.

Who is behind the plan?

The revealed framework reflects Moscow's early demands on Ukraine, which only include concessions from Kiev, not from Moscow.

The plan is believed to have been drafted by Russia's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who then passed it on to US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Putin aide Dmitriev was in the US in October for talks with Washington officials after Trump's next meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was cancelled and the White House announced tough sanctions on Russia. Dmitriev reportedly met with Witkoff in Miami in late October for three days of talks.

Officially, Dmitriev is the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF and the Russian president's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation.

Born in Kiev and educated in the US, he has been a key figure in the Kremlin's contacts with the Trump administration. He also attended the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska in August.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dmitriev was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, which declared him a "close associate of Putin" and his family.

The US government reportedly temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev earlier this year to allow the State Department to issue him a visa to enter the US./euronews