Trump's peace plan torn apart as Ukraine 'waiting for the next attack'

US President Donald Trump on Airforce One (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump’s pursuit of a swift Ukraine peace deal risks turning the country into “a grey zone waiting for the next attack”, a prominent Ukrainian politician has warned. The warning follows Bloomberg’s publication on Tuesday of leaked recordings in which US President Mr Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was heard advising Vladimir Putin’s senior aide, Yuri Ushakov, on how best to approach President Trump and frame a Ukraine settlement modelled on the recent Gaza ceasefire.

In the October 14 call, Mr Witkoff suggested Mr Putin congratulate President Trump on the Gaza agreement, note Russia’s support for it and describe the president as “a real man of peace”. A second leaked conversation captured Russian officials discussing with Mr Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, elements that later appeared in a revised American plan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Image: Getty)

Inna Sovsun, an influential Opposition MP from the Holos party and a respected voice on foreign affairs, delivered a sweeping critique of the process.

She said: “The original 28-point American draft circulated this month claims to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, but the content does the opposite – limiting our foreign policy, defence, alliances, even internal language and education policies.

"A country that cannot defend itself or decide its future is not sovereign. It is a grey zone waiting for the next attack. And no Ukrainian wants to live in that kind of future.

“We appreciate every effort to stop this war – nobody wants it to end more than Ukrainians. But we still don’t know what exactly was agreed in Geneva, or whether Russia is prepared to accept any real conditions. Without clarity, it’s impossible to call any of this ‘progress’.

Russia poses 'danger' to The West warns Inna Sovsun

“Instead of pressing Russia, the side that invaded, Washington is pressing Ukraine. Threatening to cut intelligence sharing or weapons if Ukraine doesn’t agree by a deadline is deeply troubling. If anyone needs pressure, it is the aggressor.

“We are ready for talks. We’ve responded to every peace initiative. But our fate cannot be decided without us, and certainly not at the expense of our sovereignty or our ability to defend ourselves.”

The original 28-point document, which emerged last week, demanded Kyiv cede the entire Donbas region, slash its armed forces, accept permanent neutrality and grant sweeping autonomy to Russian-speaking areas.

Critics branded it a Russian wish-list drafted in Washington. The White House insists the text has since been “fine-tuned”, but Ms Sovsun’s remarks reflect widespread unease in Kyiv.

Mr Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, defended the back-channel diplomacy as “standard” negotiating procedure.

He said: “He’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does.”

He confirmed Mr Witkoff will travel to Moscow next week while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visits Kyiv, and raised the prospect of a summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once “final details” are settled.

The Kremlin has not denied the authenticity of the recordings. Ushakov told Russian state television that the conversations were confidential and suggested the leak was intended to “hinder” the improvement of US-Russia ties. Kirill Dmitriev, another Putin adviser whose call was leaked, called his transcript “fake”.

Hours after the Bloomberg report, Russian missiles again struck Kyiv, killing seven civilians and wounding dozens more – an abrupt reminder that the war continues despite the diplomatic flurry.

Western allies still hold significant leverage, including sweeping US sanctions and £160 billion (€210 billion) in frozen Russian central-bank assets in Europe, tools Ms Sovsun believes should be used against Moscow rather than withheld from Ukraine.