Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines have sharply criticized leaked details of an early US draft peace plan, calling it unacceptable, unrealistic, and in some cases, insulting. Speaking to the BBC, several troops said the proposals fail to reflect battlefield realities or Ukraine’s sacrifices.
Yaroslav, fighting in eastern Ukraine, said the plan “sucks… no one will support it”, while an army medic, Shtutser, dismissed it as “absolutely disgraceful”. Only one soldier, Snake, expressed openness to compromise: “It’s time to agree at least on something.”
The early US proposals surfaced as Russia advanced further into Ukrainian-held areas, capturing about 450 sq km in a month. The draft urged Ukraine to surrender the entire Donbas — including areas held since 2021 — a suggestion many soldiers said amounted to abandoning years of sacrifice.
Some, however, expressed resignation. “There’s no one left in those cities,” Snake said. “We’re losing people just to hold land.”
The draft also suggested reducing Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 and ruled out NATO membership, offering instead vague US security guarantees and banning NATO troops from Ukraine. Reactions were mixed: some troops said a smaller army made sense after the war, while others warned it would leave Ukraine exposed.
Foreign troop presence as a security guarantee split opinion. A drone operator, Yevhen, said British-led plans for an allied reassurance force were “the only real guarantee”. Others said Europe was “spineless”, while some doubted US commitments entirely.
The plan also calls for elections within 100 days of war’s end — a proposal many front-line soldiers actually support amid growing frustration with corruption allegations in Kyiv.
Still, most troops rejected the broader document. “It won’t work,” Yaroslav said. But worn down by years of war, some were open to any option that could bring peace. “If it stops the war,” Andrii said, “then it works for me.”
