Ukraine reportedly agrees to peace proposal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders during negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, August 18, 2025.
Alexander Drago | Reuters
Ukraine has reportedly agreed to the framework of a US-brokered peace deal that could be an important first step towards ending the nearly four-year war.
Ukraine reportedly agreed to an amended peace agreement when US officials held talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. A Russian delegation was also in the UAE capital, although it is unclear whether joint talks were held.
Reports regarding the agreement emerged An unnamed US official told ABC News: He said “minor details” still needed to be worked out but that “the Ukrainians accepted the peace agreement.”
“There are some minor details that need to be worked out, but they have agreed to a peace agreement,” the US official told the news outlet.
A Ukrainian official told Reuters that Ukraine supports the “essence” of the peace deal framework following talks in Geneva last weekend. The unnamed official added that the “most sensitive issues” of the framework would be discussed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
But neither Russia nor Ukraine has commented publicly on the deal, and CNBC, ABC News and Reuters were unable to confirm the reports.
It is unclear whether Moscow would accept any amended agreement.
The Kremlin has been tight-lipped about the controversy in Abu Dhabi, with Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that “we still have nothing to say” and that the Kremlin is “monitoring media reports.”
“We understand that negotiations are ongoing between the Americans and the Ukrainians. We understand that some corrections have been made to the published text; we understand that there have already been changes to the text that we received unofficially before, but at some point the time will probably come when we will also contact the Americans and receive some information officially. We have no new information for now.”
Changed plans
Ukraine has been under constant pressure to agree to a peace plan with Russia after it was revealed last week that the United States and Moscow had held secret talks and drafted a 28-point peace plan that largely supported Moscow’s demands.
The plan, which Ukraine did not participate in, contained controversial terms, including Ukraine making territorial concessions by ceding the eastern Donbas region, which is partially occupied by Russian forces. The original agreement also called for Ukraine to reduce its military by 50%, and there were other proposals that crossed Ukraine’s “red lines.”
While media reports about the “peace plan” were initially met with harsh silence from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies, some analysts in question this meant capitulating to Russia’s maximalist territorial demands.
Trump, meanwhile, issued an ultimatum to Kiev to respond to the plan by Thursday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled his approval of the plan, saying it formed “the basis for a final peace agreement.”
Zelenskyy, who broke his silence on the proposals last Friday, said Ukraine was facing one of the most difficult moments in its history and faced a choice between “losing its honor and losing an important partner,” referring to the United States.
