Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan Is Draft 2: Ex-Pentagon Official

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Former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Jim Townsend tells Al Arabiya English that the original 28-point proposal looked like a “Russian wish list”, now being rewritten for Kyiv and Europe.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, November 29, 2025 — Former United States Deputy Secretary of Defence Jim Townsend has described the much-discussed Ukraine peace proposal associated with US President Donald Trump as a “second draft” rather than a simple revision, acknowledging that the original version appeared heavily tilted in Russia’s favour.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Townsend said that when the so-called 28-point plan first surfaced last week, it was widely seen as little more than a Russian wish list. Since then, Trump has claimed the plan has been “fine-tuned” to make it acceptable to Ukraine and European allies.

“Well, ‘fine-tuned’ is an understatement,” Townsend said. “In the negotiating world, what we’re really talking about is a new draft — Draft 2. The first draft was clearly tilted towards Russia, pretty much written by the Russians and passed off as a US proposal.”

Townsend noted that changes are now being made to remove or modify some of the original points, with the goal of making the proposal palatable to Kyiv and European capitals. “Now we’ll just see what this second draft does for the Russians,” he added.

His remarks underline growing scepticism in Western policy circles about how far any Trump-backed peace initiative can balance Russian demands with Ukrainian sovereignty and European security concerns.

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