Kirill Dmitriev © Getty Images The text was penned by Witkoff and Dmitriev.
Some phrases within the 28-point peace proposal the United States put forward to Ukraine seem to have been initially composed in Russian. They appear quite peculiar in English, notes Luke Harding, a journalist for The Guardian.
This is especially evident in the third paragraph: “It is expected that Russia will not invade neighboring countries, and NATO will not expand further.” As the British correspondent points out, the phrase “it is expected” sounds inelegant in English. Conversely, the Russian equivalent — “ожидается” — feels more natural and is a typical verbal construct.
“Additional instances of Russian influence that appear to have infiltrated the text encompass 'ambiguities' and 'to enshrine',” he adds.
In the meantime, the White House confirmed that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, co-authored the fresh peace plan alongside Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's representative. Neither Ukraine nor Europe participated in its formulation.
As a reminder, following discussions with Zelensky, European leaders asserted that the contact line should act as a foundation for any resolution, and the Ukrainian armed forces should remain prepared for combat. Bloomberg reports that Kyiv's major European allies dismissed significant aspects of the US-Russian plan. Concurrently, according to media reports, the US is allegedly threatening to halt intelligence and weaponry provisions to Ukraine if Zelensky does not endorse the accord by November 27.
The novel US “peace” initiative aimed at concluding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict comprises 28 points, structured into nine segments. The central focus pertains to US security assurances for Ukraine, modeled after NATO's Article 5, Ukraine's renunciation of joining the Alliance, inscribed in the Constitution, a cap on the size of Ukraine's Armed Forces, a de facto concession of three regions, a buffer zone under Russian authority, a phased easing of anti-Russian sanctions, an “all for all” prisoner exchange, and a comprehensive amnesty, followed by elections 100 days after the agreement.
