Ukraine Drops Aid Audits in US Peace Plan – WSJ

Ukraine has reportedly removed a key clause from the controversial US peace plan that would have required auditing all international aid.

Originally, according to The Wall Street Journal, the plan called for a full verification of Ukraine’s foreign assistance, aimed at curbing corruption.

The new version replaces that requirement with broad amnesty for all parties for actions taken during the war.

A senior US official told reporters that other conditions will still be carefully negotiated with Kyiv.

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, has already approved most of the plan in ongoing talks.

Meanwhile, European leaders are drafting their own alternative proposal to end the war. They are urging Kyiv to support it, though Ukraine has not yet committed.

The US peace plan is a complex 28-point document that would require Ukraine to make major concessions, including on territory, military capacity, and politics, while offering security guarantees and economic support. According to the draft:

• Russia would gain control over the entire Donbas region.
• Lines of control in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be largely frozen.
• A demilitarized zone would be set up between Ukrainian and Russian-held areas.
• No NATO troops would be stationed in Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s military would be capped at 600,000 personnel – below current wartime strength but above pre-war levels.
• The plan envisions sanctions relief for Russia, its return to international forums, and amnesty measures for war crimes.

President Volodymyr Zelensky received the draft from the US on Thursday, Nov. 20, and plans to discuss it soon with US President Donald Trump.

Analysts and politicians have criticized the plan for demanding substantial compromises from Kyiv, including ceding Donbas and halving its army.

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Zaluzhny Tops Trust Poll as Military Leaders Outrank Ukraine’s Top Politicians

A new KIIS survey found that former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny remains Ukraine’s most trusted public figure, with 73% support. Military and security leaders dominated the rankings, with Robert “Madyar” Brovdi recording the highest net trust score and Kyrylo Budanov also posting strong results. The findings suggest Ukrainians continue to place greater confidence in wartime military leaders than in many political figures.

The White House says the plan was developed in consultation with both Ukraine and Russia. It also offers a US-European security guarantee modeled on NATO’s Article 5 – a first under Trump’s administration.

Under the guarantee, any major Russian attack across a defined armistice line would be treated as a threat to the transatlantic community.

The US and NATO allies – including France, the UK, Germany, Poland, and Finland – could respond together, potentially with military force.

Compliance would be overseen by a joint monitoring commission led by European partners with US participation. The guarantee would last 10 years initially, with the possibility of renewal.