Photo: EPA
Trump’s drive to end the bloodshed at any cost explains why the details of his peace plan remain vague and keep shifting.
President Donald Trump’s primary goal is to end the war in Ukraine — regardless of what the final peace agreement looks like.
While European allies and Kyiv argued over the specifics of the initial 28-point proposal, which envisioned handing Donbas to Russia, White House officials stressed that Trump has no red lines. His only demand is that both sides agree and the fighting stops, Politico reports.
“The end goal is peace. That’s the most important thing — stopping the fighting and the killing. That’s what he wants above all,” a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity.
According to the official, Trump will sign any deal that stops the war and can be agreed quickly.
Trump’s determination to halt the bloodshed explains why the content of the plan keeps evolving — and why he can shift within a day from issuing an ultimatum to Ukraine to approve the plan by Thursday, to insisting the proposal is not final. It also explains the involvement of multiple U.S. officials in the talks, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Geneva on Sunday for consultations with European and Ukrainian representatives.
The plan unveiled last week required Ukraine to make sweeping territorial concessions — including ceding all of Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea — and to pledge never to join NATO. Its apparent alignment with Russian demands alarmed some Republicans, who worry that Trump’s focus on ending the war could result in a deal unfavorable to Ukraine.
Several senators, including Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and Mike Rounds, condemned the proposal.
“Those who believe peace can be achieved by pressuring the victim and appeasing the aggressor are deluding themselves,” McConnell wrote on X.
Trump, however, sees himself as a neutral “mediator” and does not want to take sides — a sharp contrast with former president Joe Biden and most European allies, who argue Ukraine is the victim of Russian aggression and its interests must come first.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly emphasized Trump’s desire to keep both parties in dialogue without dictating the substance of the deal — aside from ending the war.
Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President J.D. Vance have held talks with Ukrainian officials, reducing the initial proposal from 28 points to 19. But the closer negotiators get to a version acceptable to Europe and Ukraine, the more negative the signals from Moscow — which could complicate Trump’s push for a quick resolution.
Even in its revised form, Trump’s plan remains the most ambitious attempt to halt nearly four years of war — Europe’s largest conflict since 1945.
White House officials have recently suggested that President Volodymyr Zelensky is weakened by a major corruption scandal involving his close circle, creating an opening for a deal. At the same time, some warn that a weakened Zelensky may lack the political support necessary to “sell” an unfavorable agreement to Ukrainians.
On Tuesday, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a call with the so-called “coalition of the willing” — a group of countries committed to supporting Ukraine. His spokesperson confirmed the U.K.’s readiness to send troops as part of a multinational mission.
A European counter-proposal envisions future NATO membership for Ukraine and requires a ceasefire before any talks on territory can begin.
