Painful concessions in peace plan

UKRAINE would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army under a sweeping 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump, according to a draft obtained by AFP.

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Kyiv would also pledge never to join Nato, and would not get the Western peacekeepers it has called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland to protect Ukraine.

A US official said the draft plan included a powerful security guarantee for Kyiv, modelled on Nato rules, which would commit the US and European allies to respond to any attack on Ukraine.

Russia would meanwhile be readmitted to the G8 group of nations and be rewarded with sanctions relief under the plan, which US officials said was still a "working document".

The proposal involves major concessions by Kyiv, which has previously refused to cede any land, while appearing to meet many of Moscow's maximalist demands following its 2022 invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected to discuss the plan with Trump "in coming days". He said any deal must bring a "dignified peace" that respected Kyiv's sovereignty.

The White House denied reports that it had cooked up the proposal with Moscow, saying envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been "quietly" working with both sides for the past month.

"The president supports this plan. It's a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.