Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photos: Robert Schimidt, Ozan Kose, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Volodymyr Zelensky listened by phone as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner read a 28-point plan from President Trump to end the war. They presented it line by line. The plan became public two days later. By Friday, Zelensky warned Ukrainians that the pressure to sign placed the country in one of its hardest moments.
Zelensky joined the talks through his national security adviser Rustem Umerov. His participation had not been public before. This revealed when he first entered the process. The plan took shape a month earlier on a flight to Miami from the Middle East. This account comes from six U.S. officials, two Ukrainian officials, and one other source.
The effort started on Oct. 22. On the flight, Kushner and Witkoff shifted from discussing a Gaza deal to Ukraine. Trump ordered new sanctions on Russia that day. Talks on Ukraine were stuck. The pair worked on an approach that copied their Gaza strategy. They wanted to write a proposal, present it to both sides, and ask how to solidify agreement.
Three days later, they met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Miami. They met again on Sunday for several hours. Dmitriev leads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. He said they discussed how to turn understandings from a Trump-Putin summit in Alaska into written terms. He said the goal was to build lasting security in Europe.
The meetings produced the first draft of what became the 28-point plan. Dmitriev did not mention a U.S. peace plan in the interview, but he expressed confidence. Witkoff and Kushner had Trump’s approval. A U.S. official said they would not have begun without a green light. Secretary of State Marco Rubio knew each step. Vice President Vance was briefed as well.
Vance recommended Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to deliver the plan in Ukraine. Driscoll already planned a defense visit with a large military team. The White House told him to fast-track his trip and prepare to negotiate. U.S. officials shifted to full preparation mode. Driscoll received full briefings on the war and the political background before traveling.
Meanwhile, Witkoff and Kushner met Umerov in Miami across two days. A senior Qatari official joined them. He knew both sides and had ties in Moscow. Witkoff and Kushner presented the plan and took feedback. Umerov suggested calling Zelensky so he could hear directly. A Ukrainian official said it was difficult to explain such a detailed document by phone and objected to the proposal and the way it was introduced. Yet the U.S. team left the meeting confident Ukraine was aligned. Witkoff planned to speak to Zelensky in Turkey, but that meeting never happened.
The U.S. side believed Ukraine stepped back from earlier interest. A Ukrainian official said it was a misunderstanding. Kyiv believed the plan was only a set of ideas. The Americans saw it as formal. Driscoll now had the task of presenting it in Kyiv and pressing for an agreement.
Word of the plan broke on Nov. 18. A U.S. official confirmed the 28 points and the main themes. They covered peace, security guarantees, Europe’s stability, and future relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv confirmed Umerov had seen the plan. U.S. media published the story that night. Many officials abroad and in Washington were unaware and reacted with shock.
Reactions grew stronger when more details came out. The plan asked Ukraine to surrender more territory beyond current Russian control. European diplomats called the State Department. They were told the plan was not a Trump initiative. But Trump backed it and wanted Ukraine to sign by Thanksgiving.
After the meeting between Driscoll and Zelensky, a U.S. official said an aggressive signing timeline had been agreed. A Ukrainian official said Zelensky accepted the plan as a basis for talks because he could not reject it. Pressure was rising quickly. Zelensky warned Ukrainians they risked losing dignity or losing support from Washington.
Some inside the Trump administration believed events moved too quickly. Rubio was among them. A senior official said Driscoll went too far by conducting full peace talks. The Ukrainians, they said, accused the U.S. of forcing a Russian deal. The official denied it but admitted they lost control of the pace.
Trump set the Thanksgiving deadline himself. He wanted to push Zelensky. By Friday, he felt the situation was getting messy. Trump sent Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, and Driscoll to Geneva. Statements from Rubio created confusion about his stance. But in Geneva he told the Ukrainians the U.S. would not meet until they issued a statement confirming the plan was not Russian and that they had input. The Americans accused Kyiv of leaking negative details. Ukraine agreed to offer a positive public statement.
The U.S. also softened its approach. They began calling the 28 points a framework, not a final agreement. They showed willingness to add parts of Ukraine’s counter-proposals.
While both sides released positive messages about the Geneva talks, the meetings were tense. Rubio called it the most productive day so far. Trump, from Washington, accused Ukraine of lack of gratitude. Rubio said the real goal was to make progress quickly, not hold to a strict holiday deadline. If talks keep moving, Trump and Zelensky might meet soon. No date is confirmed.
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