Trump 'to force Ukraine to cut size of army' after US secretly agrees 28-point peace plan with Putin
Ukraine may be required to cede some territory to Russia and give up some weapons under the deal.
Donald Trump could force Ukraine to slash the size of its army under a deal agreed between the US President and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
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The White House has reportedly urged the Ukrainian President to accept the terms of the deal, which also force him to cede some territory to Russia and give up weapons.
Washington and Moscow have been secretly hammering out the terms of the 28-point proposal inspired by the Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by Mr Trump in October.
The terms would be major concessions for Mr Zelenskyy should he agree, sparking fears that Ukraine is once again being sidelined in peace talks.
However, the plan would also reportedly come with benefits for Ukraine, including a ceasefire, security guarantees and the upkeep of US-Ukraine relations, according to Axios.
Mr Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly discussed the plan with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Mr Zelenskyy’s security adviser Rustem Umerov after three days of talks in Miami last month, sources told Axios.
Read more: At least three dead and thousands without power as Russia hits Ukraine with wave of deadly strikes
“We feel the Russian position is really being heard,” Mr Dmitriev said.
European countries have seemingly had no say in the plan, nor has Ukraine.
“What we are going to present [to Ukraine] is reasonable,” a senior White House official told Politico.
The Trump administration has for months been trying to force through a peace deal - with fiery bust-ups between Mr Tump and Mr Zelenskyy, and several shifts in the US’ stance towards Russia.
Last month, Mr Zelenskyy travelled to Washington to request increased US military support to fight Russia's war in Ukraine, but he was met with raised voices and condemnation by Trump and his cabinet as the pair discussed the war during a heated discussion.
Mr Trump was also seen to spout Putin's rhetoric, echoing that the conflict was a "special operation" and "not even a war."
He reportedly said Putin would "destroy" Ukraine if it did not concede to his terms - and urged Mr Zelenskyy to give up key areas of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a planned meeting between Putin and Mr Trump was shelved just days after the White House announced the pair would meet in Budapest.
This week, Mr Zelenskyy confirmed he is working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia, which bring 1,200 Ukrainians home.
"We are ... counting on the resumption of POW exchanges," Mr Zelensky wrote on X. "Many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this."
On Monday, tens of thousands were left without power after Russia launched a series of deadly strikes on Ukraine.
At least three people were killed and a further 13 were injured as the Kremlin launched strikes on the city of Balakliia in Kharkiv.