U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration has shortened its earlier 28-point proposal for ending the war in Ukraine and will now send Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow in an effort to secure Russian approval. The move comes as White House officials express growing concern that the Kremlin will not accept the modified plan, which has been reshaped at the insistence of Kiev and several European governments.
Trump confirmed that he intends to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the near future and wrote on Truth Social that the peace plan has been “fine-tuned” with input from both sides. He said only a handful of disputes remain unresolved and announced parallel diplomatic tracks, with Witkoff heading to Moscow while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll meets Ukrainian officials. According to Trump, he and senior administration figures will monitor progress closely as talks advance.
Despite Trump’s optimistic tone, reporting throughout the day suggested increasing internal skepticism about the plan’s viability. White House sources told CNN that they doubt Russia will see the revised proposal as acceptable, particularly because the modifications driven by Ukraine and European partners may fall short of meeting Moscow’s minimum objectives. These changes have complicated U.S. attempts to present a unified proposal that all sides would consider credible.
This dynamic has unfolded several times over the past year, with the United States drafting a proposal in consultation with Ukraine and European allies before sending Witkoff to Moscow to seek approval. In most cases, Russia has rejected the offers immediately. The only notable exception came during Witkoff’s August 6 visit, when Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly agreed to a framework viewed by Russian media as favorable. However, Trump reversed course after his August 15 meeting with Putin in Anchorage, creating further uncertainty about Washington’s approach.
The latest attempt faces similar challenges, as the newly condensed plan appears to reflect concessions to Kiev and European leaders rather than Moscow’s core demands. While Washington hopes that a streamlined list of terms might make negotiations more workable, officials worry that the proposal remains too far from Russia’s strategic goals to gain traction. With the conflict still ongoing and battlefield momentum shifting, the prospects for rapid diplomatic progress remain uncertain, despite the administration’s renewed effort to push forward.