Donald Trump 'has a secret new plan' to end the 'senseless' war in Ukraine

Donald Trump's administration has been working with the Kremlin on a new plan to end the Ukraine war (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump's administration has been working with the Kremlin in secret on a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, a report claims. US news website Axios says the United States' plan contains 28 points and is "inspired" by the US president's Gaza deal, but it isn't clear what Ukraine and its supporters in Europe will think of it.

The plan is reportedly divided into four sections, according to sources cited by the same news outlet. These are peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, European security and the future of US-Russia relations. There is uncertainty over how the plan deals with occupied regions of east Ukraine.

According to Axios, Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, is spearheading the drafting of the plan and is said to have discussed it with Russian envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.

Mr Dmitriev told the publication on Monday that he spent three days with Mr Wikoff and other members of Mr Trump's team during a visit to Miami in October.

The Russian is reported to have been optimistic about the prospect of the deal succeeding because there was a feeling the Kremlin's position was "really being heard".

A White House official is quoted by Axios as saying: "President Trump believes that there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown."

A Ukrainian official said Mr Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's national security adviser Rustem Umerov discussed the plan in Miami this week.

Mr Dmitriev is reported to have dismissed UK-led efforts to advance a Ukraine peace plan similar to that reached for Gaza, saying it had no chance of success as it ignores Russia's position.

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters the Ukrainian government has received "signals" on the reported peace talks between the US and Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there was nothing he could say about the matter in public, adding the Kremlin is not currently in contact with Mr Witkoff.

Mr Dmitriev reportedly told Axios the idea behind the talks was to reach a proposal based on principles Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to during their meeting in Alaska in August.

Ukraine's president is due to hold talks in Turkey on Wednesday. He is expected to meet US military officials in Kyiv tomorrow in a fresh push to revive peace talks with Moscow.

There have been no reports of in person talks having taken place between the two warring sides since a meeting in Turkey in July.