Trump’s ‘Final Offer’ to Ukraine: Give In or Lose U.S. Support

The Trump administration has reportedly given Ukraine a “final offer” to end the war — but it comes with compromises.

According to Axios, the proposal asks Ukraine to recognize Crimea as part of Russia and accept that Russia controls large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

The document was shown to Ukrainian officials during a meeting in Paris last week. It’s described as just one page long and marked as “President Trump’s final offer.” A U.S. official told Axios that the White House is prepared to walk away from the talks if there’s no progress soon.

People close to the Ukrainian government say the deal clearly favors Russia.

One source said it outlines what Russia would gain in detail, but gives only vague promises for what Ukraine would receive in return.

Under the plan, Russia would keep Crimea and much of the occupied areas in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Ukraine would have to promise not to join NATO, but could still join the European Union. U.S. sanctions against Russia — including those dating back to 2014 — would be lifted, and economic cooperation between the U.S. and Russia would be expanded, especially in energy and industry.

Ukraine, on the other hand, would be offered “security guarantees” from a group of European and possibly other allied countries, though the document doesn’t explain how those guarantees would work.

The U.S. wouldn’t be directly involved in the security operation.

Ukraine would get back a small piece of the Kharkiv region, free navigation on parts of the Dnieper River, and some help with rebuilding — though there are no clear details about where that money would come from.

One unusual detail is that the U.S. would take control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. It would still be considered Ukrainian territory, but the electricity would be shared between Ukraine and Russia. There’s also mention of a U.S.-Ukraine agreement on mining and mineral extraction, which Trump says is expected to be signed soon.

The plan reportedly came together after a four-hour meeting between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. After that meeting, Putin suggested freezing the current front lines of the war and using them as the basis for a peace agreement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff worked on the proposal together, according to a U.S. official. Their goal, the official said, is to end the war quickly — even if that means Ukraine has to make some tough choices.

But Ukrainian officials don’t seem ready to accept the plan. For now, they’re more focused on a short-term goal: reaching a 30-day ceasefire, which they’ll discuss at a meeting in London on April 23. Ukraine’s delegation will include top defense, foreign affairs, and public safety leaders.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said talks are still ongoing and that the U.S. hopes things are moving in the right direction. President Trump also said he plans to publicly share his peace plan this week.

So far, the reaction from Kyiv has been negative.

Ukrainian leaders believe the proposal gives away too much to Russia and doesn’t offer enough clear support for Ukraine in return.