US president Donald Trump will try to force Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire with Russia by Easter under a peace plan, according to a report.
Trump, who has long claimed that he would be able to negotiate an ending to the brutal invasion of Ukraine in a single day, is said to be working to end the war within 100 days.
The unconfirmed plans, reported by Ukrainian outlet Strana, have been doing the rounds in ‘political and diplomatic circles’ in Ukraine, and will include a ceasefire by April 20 that would freeze Russia’s steady advance, a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO, and a demand for Kyiv to accept Russian sovereignty on annexed land.
On top of this, Ukrainian troops will be made to leave Russia’s Kursk region, where it launched a counteroffensive in August, while a contingent of European soldiers, which could include British troops, would be asked to police a demilitarised zone. American troops will not be involved in this contingent.
The EU will reportedly be asked to assist Ukraine in its reconstruction efforts, which may cost as much as $486billion (£392billion) over the next decade according to the German Marshall Fund thinktank.
The ceasefire plans will reportedly begin with a phone call between Zelensky and Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin in early February, a meeting between the two warring leaders in late February to early March and an official ceasefire declaration by April 20.
A declaration on the agreed parameters for ending the war would then be released by May 9, after which Kyiv would be asked not to extend martial law or mobilise troops.
Trump also wants to set up an International Peace Conference, mediated by other prominent nations, that would gather to help forge an agreement to end the brutal war that has so far killed over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to Zelensky, and an estimated 840,000 Russian troops according to Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
An administrative building stands damaged after Russian missile attack on February 5, 2025 in Izium, Ukraine
