Will the US be able to end the war between Ukraine and Russia?

The Trump administration has been quietly coordinating with Russian officials to shape a new proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to U.S. and Russian sources who spoke with Axios.

This 28-point outline — which officials have been going over for weeks — draws inspiration from Trump’s recent success negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza. A senior Russian official said the idea is going down well in Moscow, though it’s unclear how Ukraine or its European partners will respond once they go through the full details.

The plan is divided into four broad categories, sources say: ending the fighting in Ukraine, providing security guarantees, ensuring stability across Europe, and defining the future of U.S. relationships with both Russia and Ukraine.

What remains uncertain is how the plan will go into sensitive issues like territorial control in eastern Ukraine — a region where Russian forces have pushed forward but still hold less ground than they originally set out to go after.

Behind the scenes: Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is leading the drafting process and has been in deep discussions with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to a U.S. official.

Dmitriev — head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a key diplomatic figure — said he recently spent three days in Miami meeting with Witkoff and Trump’s team. He expressed confidence in the new effort, saying that unlike previous negotiations, “the Russian position is finally being heard,” which he believes is why this attempt may not go off track like past peace initiatives.

The other side: Witkoff had been expected to go ahead with a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey, but the trip was postponed, officials from both countries said.

He did, however, meet earlier in the week with Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, to go over the main principles of the proposal. Ukrainian officials acknowledged they are aware that Washington is preparing something significant.

A White House official added, “The president believes it’s time to stop the killing. If all sides show flexibility, President Trump thinks there is a real chance to end this war.”

Dmitriev explained that the new plan builds on principles Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in Alaska in August. The goal is to create a framework that addresses not only the Ukraine conflict but also broader U.S.–Russia relations and Russia’s long-standing security concerns.

“It’s a wider effort to finally bring lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine,” Dmitriev said.

He added that the aim is to finish a written version of the plan before Trump and Putin’s next meeting. A potential summit in Budapest is still on hold until both sides go back over the proposal and finalize its structure.

Dmitriev insisted that this initiative is separate from the U.K.-led attempt to create a “Gaza-style” peace plan for Ukraine — an effort he believes will never go down well with Moscow because it ignores Russia’s positions.

He said U.S. officials are now explaining the advantages of their proposal to Ukrainian and European leaders while Russia strengthens its position on the battlefield, giving Moscow more leverage as discussions go ahead.

A U.S. official confirmed that the White House has begun going over the proposal with European governments as well as Ukraine.

The official noted there is a realistic chance of aligning Europeans and Ukrainians behind the plan, and emphasized that it will evolve based on their feedback.

“We think the timing is right,” the official said. “But for this to work, everyone needs to be practical. Both sides will have to go through some hard compromises.”

Vocabulary List

1. go down

Meaning: to be received in a particular way; to be accepted or approved

Example:

• The proposal didn’t go down well with European leaders, who felt their concerns were ignored.

  Practice Question:

• Think of a time an idea “didn’t go down well” at work or school. Why do you think people reacted badly?

2. go over

Meaning: to review something carefully

Example:

• The negotiators spent hours going over the details before presenting the final proposal.

  Practice Question:

• What is something you always need to go over twice before you feel confident about it?

3. go back over

Meaning: to review again; to reexamine something in more detail

Example:

• Before approving the agreement, both sides agreed to go back over several disputed points.

  Practice Question:

• Why might a government need to go back over a policy before putting it into action?

4. go ahead

Meaning: to proceed with something; to continue even if there are obstacles

Example:

• Despite concerns from advisers, the envoy decided to go ahead with the diplomatic meeting.

  Practice Question:

• If you wanted to go ahead with a risky decision, what factors would you consider first?

5. go into

Meaning: to examine or discuss something in detail

Example:

• The report does not go into how territorial disputes will be resolved.

  Practice Question:

• What’s a topic you wish the media would go into with more depth?

6. go after

Meaning: to pursue something or someone; to aim to achieve something

Example:

• The plan explains how negotiators hope to go after a long-term peace solution.

  Practice Question:

• What is a goal you want to go after this year?

7. go off

Meaning: to fail, break down, derail, or proceed unsuccessfully

Example:

• Previous peace talks went off track because neither side trusted the process.

  Practice Question:

• Describe a project or plan in your life that went off track. What caused the problem?

8. go through

Meaning: to experience something difficult; or to examine or complete a process step-by-step

Example:

• The Ukrainians want time to go through the proposal before responding.

  Practice Question:

• When making a major decision, what steps do you usually go through?