U.S.-Russia proposal calls for halving Ukraine's army, abandoning Donbass - media

WASHINGTON. Nov 19 (Interfax) - A proposal, which the United States and Russia put forward as part of the Ukrainian peace process, calls for a drastic reduction in the size of the Ukrainian army, The Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

"I can confirm a hasty US-Russia proposal being pushed to Ukrainians via [Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) General Director Kirill] Dmitriev - [U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Steve] Witkoff to [Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem] Umerov," the publication's journalist Christopher Miller wrote on the X social media, citing sources.

According to FT sources, the plan includes, among other things, demands to halve the size of the Ukrainian army and "give up certain weapons, give up Donbass."

Furthermore, the proposal calls for rollback of American military aid to Kiev, the publication said. "It would also stipulate that Russian be recognized as an official state language in Ukraine and grant official status to the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church," it said.

It is also noted that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky remained "displeased" with this proposal.

Politico, citing sources, earlier reported that the White House expects to agree on the framework for a future agreement regarding a Ukrainian settlement by the end of November.

Meanwhile, Axios reported, citing U.S. and Russian officials, that the Trump administration is secretly consulting with Russia on a new plan for a Ukrainian settlement. According to the website's sources, the plan consists of 28 points across four main items: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and future U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine.