Donald Trump entered office promising to bring an end to the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. As his 100th day in the White House approaches next week, that promise remains unfulfilled. There is no ceasefire in place, and a broader peace agreement appears distant. On April 23rd, Vice President J.D. Vance stated that Trump may be preparing to “walk away” from peace efforts that have proven far more complex than his administration initially suggested.
The United States has circulated a proposed settlement across European capitals, which includes several controversial elements. According to reports, the plan would involve the formal recognition of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, a guarantee that Ukraine would never join NATO, and a rollback of sanctions imposed on Russia following its military actions in 2014 and 2022.
In return, the proposal does not include American security guarantees for Ukraine, nor does it promise U.S. support for any similar commitments from Europe. There has also been no indication that Washington intends to condition sanctions relief on future Russian behavior. What Ukraine would receive under this plan is a cessation of hostilities along current front lines—so long as Russian President Vladimir Putin abides by any agreement.
Leaked details suggest the U.S. proposal does not formally recognize Russia’s 2022 annexation claims over four partially occupied Ukrainian regions. Nor does it accept Moscow’s call for limits on Ukraine’s military strength following any deal.
Despite this, the proposal has found no formal backing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy publicly rejected any possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. In response, Trump referred to Zelenskiy’s stance as “inflammatory.” Meanwhile, Russia has not agreed to the proposal either. Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow to present the plan in person and attempt to secure Putin’s approval.
European governments have refrained from publicly commenting on the proposal. However, sources suggest they are reluctant to undermine Kyiv’s position and are unlikely to support any deal that compromises Ukrainian sovereignty.
The next steps remain unclear. If the Trump administration abandons the peace initiative, it is uncertain whether the United States will continue supplying weapons to Ukraine, maintain intelligence cooperation, or uphold its sanctions against Russia. Another open question is whether Washington will allow European allies to purchase critical U.S.-made defense systems—such as Patriot missile batteries—for use in Ukraine.
So far, few answers have emerged.
