Archive November 26, 2025

As Washington intensifies its diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year-old conflict, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow next week. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will meet with Ukrainian officials in the coming days.

Trump’s initial 28-point peace plan was modified after European leaders called it a capitulation to Russian demands, which included Moscow keeping captured Ukrainian territories.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said “we’re making progress” on a revised peace plan that appeared to award Ukraine more of its demands, and added that Kyiv was indeed “happy”.

The contentious 28-point peace plan, which was developed with limited assistance from Ukraine, was provided by Al Jazeera after it leaked last week. It also contained plans for Ukraine to completely abandon any plans to join NATO and cut its military might in the eastern Donbass region. The plan met with strong pushback in Ukraine and the European Union, as critics said the deal would reward Moscow for invading its smaller neighbour.

Meanwhile, a leaked recording that shows Witkoff instructing a Russian diplomat on selling a Ukrainian deal has drawn criticism in Europe.

Details of a 19-point peace plan that has been completely revised are still being developed. Here’s what we know about what may have changed based on statements from American and Ukrainian officials:

What was the initial strategy?

The proposed 28-point peace plan was made public last week after a Ukrainian official leaked it to international media outlets. According to the US media, Witkoff, Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, created it. Before developing and submitting the plan to Trump for approval, the pair had previously met with top Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian leader of national security Rustem Umerov.

Among other things, the plan proposed de-escalation and buffer zones, that Ukraine would receive security guarantees from the US that it would have to pay for, and that Russia would take no further aggression against Ukraine or its neighbours.

Additionally, it was suggested that Moscow would pass a non-violent resolution to Europe, that both sides’ civilians and prisoners of war be exchanged, that the parties involved in fighting would receive amnesty, and that Moscow would stop trying to stop Ukraine from moving grain across the Black Sea using the Dnipro River.

However, in line with the discussion of territorial concessions at point 21, it was suggested that parts of eastern Ukraine, including the fertile Donbass, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhia, be ceded to Russia. The proposal further restricted Ukraine to no more than 600, 000 military personnel and required Kyiv to enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO.

What was the response?

In Ukraine, angry citizens criticized the plan, calling it favoring Russia, while American negotiators quickly sought help from American negotiators.

Ukraine’s European allies, too, who have been largely sidelined in the negotiation attempt, spoke out against the deal. Over the weekend, a alternative peace agreement between Britain, France, and Germany, known as Europe’s E3, was released that would allow Ukraine to join NATO on the basis of agreements already in place. Additionally, the European partners recommended that the military of Ukraine’s population be limited to 800 000.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a Sunday statement on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, warned that the US-led plan would leave Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian aggression. She claimed that the European Union would not support forceful territorial concessions and would not accept a deal that did not “represent the centrality of the European Union” in bringing about peace in Kyiv, despite the peace plan’s own restriction preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, not the EU.

The Commission President said that any credible and long-term peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and put an end to the conflict without causing a future conflict.

Addressing the European parliament on Wednesday, von der Leyen reiterated: Any peace agreement must ensure European security without leaving open the possibility of “carving up” European countries or changing borders “by force”.

Russia’s persistent demands on its territory are not permitted by law, and Ukraine has long pushed back against them, calling for a referendum. Many Ukrainians reject the idea of what seems like a surrender after nearly four years of devastating war as the battered nation continues to suffer significant losses as a result of Russian bombardment.

What new proposals are there?

Following two days of talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Geneva that ended on Sunday, a new 19-point peace plan was released this week. The talks were led on Ukraine’s side by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and diplomat Umerov, while US officials present included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Driscoll, Kushner and Witkoff.

The presidents of Ukraine and the US would make final decisions regarding the refined deal, according to a statement from Ukraine’s presidency office, who did not provide any details. However, the talks were “constructive” and did not go into specifics.

At the Geneva talks, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, who was present, claimed the meeting was “intense” and nearly ended before it even started. However, the resulting draft had left both sides feeling “positive”, he said, adding that the most sensitive topics – territorial issues and the question of Ukraine’s future in NATO – were left for Trump and Zelenskyy to decide on.

According to Kyslytsya, “We have a solid body of convergence and a few things that we can accept.” There are “very few things left in the original version,” he claimed.

• The US appeared willing to remove the 600, 000-member cap on Ukraine’s army, the official said. According to Kyslytsya, “they both agreed that the Ukrainian army number in the leaked version was no longer on the table,” according to Kyslytsya.
• He added that “the grievances of those who suffered in the war” were rewritten as proposals for blanket amnesty for potential war crimes.
• Separately, an unnamed White House official said changes were also made to the earlier peace deal’s restrictions on NATO troops positioned in Ukraine, according to The New York Times. Russia has asserted in a previous statement that Ukraine’s NATO troops are fighting without any proof.

Russia might want what?

Kyslytsya stressed to The FT how willing the US delegation was to listen to the Ukrainian side and to review all the issues raised point by point. There are no guarantees that President Vladimir Putin will accept the deal, despite Russia’s absence from the table.

Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of getting a yes from Moscow during the Geneva talks on Sunday, saying, “Of course, the Russians get a vote here as well.”

Potential contentious points remain the issue of ceding territory. After annexing the fertile, mineral-rich Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia provinces, Russia unilaterally proclaimed its annexation, and it has remained in control of significant portions of the region ever since. Russia had previously vehemently annexed Crimea in 2014.

Putin has pushed for maximalist goals through the war and has stuck to his demands since 2022, including to fully claim all five territories. Despite Trump’s efforts to negotiate, which included a summit in Alaska that ended in no agreements earlier in August, the Kremlin’s stance has largely remained unchanged.

Moscow has vehemently opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, as well.

Regarding the uncapping of Ukraine’s military membership, it’s not clear yet if Russia will agree to a higher number. Russia suggested that Ukraine should have as few as 100 000 troops as it did the 600 000 troops mentioned in the first US peace plan during initial peace discussions in 2022.

What comes next?

Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy will now have to meet to decide the final aspects of the new deal. Trump initially set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine’s formal ratification of the pact, but Trump later claimed there were no longer any more stringent deadlines.

As the US settles in for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, it’s not known when a meeting will take place. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that “there are no plans at this moment” for a meeting.

President Zelenskyy addressed “sensitive points” at a video conference of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Importantly, Washington will now have to support the revised draft in addition to Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on the plan on Tuesday, said Moscow had not seen it, but warned that it should reflect “the spirit and letter” of the talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska, adding that if key terms are erased, “it will be a fundamentally different situation (for Russia). Putin reiterated Russia’s stated objectives during those discussions.

Trump stated in a statement on his Truth Social Media account that he was optimistic about the achievement of peace.

” In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians, “Trump wrote.

I’m hoping to meet with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal is final or in its final stages. We appreciate your interest in this crucial issue, and we all wish for the achievement of PEACE as soon as possible.

US Army Secretary Driscoll, meanwhile, met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in what appeared like an attempt to convey the new agreement to Moscow ahead of Witkoff’s visit next week. Although it’s unclear what was being discussed, Driscoll’s spokesperson assured reporters that “the talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”

The peace plan was not discussed during meetings with US officials in Abu Dhabi, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide.

Authorities report that at least 13 people have died in a fire that has stricken a number of Hong Kong high-rise apartment buildings and left some residents trapped inside.

On Wednesday afternoon, flames engulfed other parts of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, a district in the city’s northern part, before sweeping over several apartment blocks.

The 31-story towers’ thick, black smoke poured out from the fire into the night sky, and firefighters battled it until midnight.

The Fire Services Department raised the fire to a level five alarm, the highest level, after nightfall, adding that nine people were later confirmed dead at the scene and four were later confirmed dead.

Local media reported that some residents were reportedly trapped inside the buildings, injuring at least 15 others.

The fire quickly spread, according to Chan Derek Armstrong, deputy director of Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department, and residents frequently called for assistance.

He claimed that the affected buildings’ debris and scaffolding were falling, adding that the building’s temperature remained extremely high.

He claimed that it’s quite challenging for us to enter the buildings and go upstairs to carry out firefighting and rescue operations.

“People are ensnared inside.”

Nothing can be done with the property, according to the statement. A Tai Po resident by the surname So, 57, told the AFP news agency right near the fire’s location, “We can only hope that everyone, no matter how old or young, can return safely.”

It’s heartbreaking,” she said. We’re concerned that there might be trapped inside.

Reporter Laura Westbrook told Al Jazeera from the scene of the fire that when it first started, it spread to other housing estate blocks as bamboo scaffolding was being reported.

As I’ve been standing here, Westbrook said, “I can smell the smoke and occasionally hear these pops as some of the debris falls to the ground,” she said.

One of Hong Kong’s most densely populated cities, Wang Fuk Court, is one of many high-rise housing complexes.

Harry Cheung, 66, a resident of Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, reported hearing a “very loud noise” at around 2:45 pm local time (06:45 GMT) and seeing a fire erupt in a nearby block.

He told the Reuters news agency, “I immediately went back and packed my things.” “I’m not even aware of my current state of mind. Because I’m likely to not be able to return home tonight, I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep.

Bamboo scaffolding

As smoke emitted from the buildings, people gathered on a nearby overhead walkway to watch in shock and pose for photos.

Residents posted photos on social media claiming the buildings had been receiving renovations for about a year, with some of the structures covered in bamboo scaffolding.

Witnesses reported seeing hundreds of fire engines and ambulances line the road below the development while firefighters battled the blaze, with frames of scaffolding falling to the ground.

128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances were sent to the scene by firefighters.

Authorities established a casualty hotline and established two temporary housing options for newly evacuated residents in nearby community centers. The firefighting operation also closed portions of a nearby highway.

The Fire Services Department advises residents nearby to remain inside, shut their doors and windows, and remain calm. The public is also advised to stay away from the fire’s affected areas.