Peace plans for Ukraine – an overview

Peace negotiations

Peace plans for Ukraine – an overview

Sovereignty, ceasefire, security guarantees and renunciation of territory: What ideas are important actors pursuing for peace in Ukraine?

In order to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, various actors have already presented approaches to finding peace. These demands are in the room:

A preliminary 28-point plan from the USA, which became known through media reports, recently attracted a lot of attention. Because it demanded tough concessions from Ukraine, critics described it as a “Russian wish list.” Ukraine should therefore retain its sovereignty, but refrain from joining NATO and remain free of nuclear weapons.

In return, the USA promised Kiev reliable security guarantees. Areas like Luhansk and Donetsk should be recognized as Russian. In return, Russia will “stop fighting and will not conquer any more countries,” said US President Donald Trump.

After criticism of the proposal – also from the EU – there were renegotiations and adjustments. According to media reports, the plan was reduced by a few points. The EU Council President António Costa recently told the “Handelsblatt” that everything that concerns the EU and NATO has been deleted from a new working paper.

Kyiv and Washington recently signaled that there is a largely common position. There are only small differences, they said. However, the central question behind this could be how to deal with the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The USA had already brokered a ceasefire in March of this year. Both Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary halt to attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure. This approach should serve as a realistic first step in building trust. But ultimately both sides accused each other of not keeping the agreement. To this day, there are mutual attacks on the energy infrastructure every day.

Under the leadership of Great Britain and France, various supporter states of Kiev, including Germany, repeatedly discussed a possible future Ukraine mission to secure a peace solution as a “coalition of the willing”. It was about a possible troop presence, for example as part of a training mission. The project is still relevant today and is intended to represent a security guarantee for Ukraine. Russia categorically rejects troops from NATO countries to secure a ceasefire – and has threatened to view them as a military target.

China published a position paper on the Ukraine war in February 2023 and called for negotiations between the warring parties. However, since the list was not a guide to settlement, but rather stated general positions, Beijing met with criticism. Kyiv in particular did not see this as a solution. Observers suspected that China was trying to avoid being seen as silent in the conflict. The content discussed, for example, the cessation of hostilities and compliance with international law. Although China emphasizes its neutrality, it is criticized in the West for supporting Russia in its war.