The American peace plan in Ukraine is derived from a secret Russian document.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the peace plan supported by the Trump administration to end the war in Ukraine is based on an informal document sent by Russia to Washington in October, which includes conditions for stopping the war, including concessions previously rejected by Kyiv, such as giving up eastern territories. The document, which was sent after a meeting between Trump and Zelensky, formed the basis for the 28-point American peace plan, which was not commented on by the US State Department or the embassies of Moscow and Kyiv. Trump expressed optimism about the negotiations and sent envoys to meet with Putin and the Ukrainians. The White House did not comment directly on the informal paper but indicated that Trump had expressed optimism about the progress made in the plan. Trump wrote, "Hoping to finalize the peace plan, I have directed my special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President (Russian Vladimir) Putin in Moscow, and at the same time, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will meet with the Ukrainians." It is unclear why and how the Trump administration relied on the Russian document to help draft the American peace plan. Sources said that some senior US officials who reviewed it, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, believe that the Ukrainians will categorically reject the demands made by Moscow. Doubts about Russian Influence Sources said that after the document was submitted, Rubio discussed it in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Rubio acknowledged during statements to reporters in Geneva this week that he had received "many informal documents and things like that," without elaborating. Since the first report on the peace plan was published on the Axios website last week, suspicions have grown among US officials and lawmakers, with many seeing the plan as nothing more than a list of Russian positions and not a serious proposal. However, the United States is putting pressure on Ukraine, threatening to reduce military aid if it does not sign the plan. The plan was developed, at least in part, during a meeting between Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff with Kirill Dmitriev, head of a Russian sovereign wealth fund, in Miami last month. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that few within the State Department and the White House were briefed on the results of this meeting. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Witkoff advised senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how Putin should talk to Trump about it. According to the transcript of the call obtained by the news agency, Ushakov and Witkoff alluded to a possible "20-point" plan on October 14. It added that the scope of that plan appeared to have expanded during subsequent talks with Dmitriev. Reviewing the Plan After Global Reaction The American proposal, which surprised officials in both Washington and Europe, sparked a wave of diplomatic efforts across three continents. ABC News reported that the original plan has changed significantly since then, with nine points out of 28 being canceled after talks between senior US and Ukrainian officials. A group of US senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties said on Saturday that Rubio told them that the 28-point plan was not an American plan but a Russian wish list, but the White House and the US State Department strongly denied that Rubio had described it as such. In subsequent discussions, a high-level US delegation including Rubio agreed to delete or amend some of the more pro-Russian parts of the plan during meetings in Geneva with European and Ukrainian officials. Driscoll is currently meeting with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi. A US official said that a Ukrainian delegation is also in the Emirates to hold talks with the American team. Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that they support the framework of the amended peace agreement that emerged from the recent talks, but stressed that the most sensitive issues - especially the controversial issue of ceding territory - need to be resolved at a possible meeting between Zelensky and Trump.