Russia has said it is yet to receive anything official from the US on its peace plan, after Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to work with the Trump administration on its vision to bring an end to the war.
The widely leaked US plan includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls, reducing its army in size, and pledging not to join NATO.
These provisions come across as heavily slanted towards Moscow and received a carefully-worded response from Zelensky's office on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes continue with six people killed overnight - five in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and one in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
The draft plan has emerged as Russia claims small territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, and Zelensky faces a domestic crisis implicating top officials in a $100 million corruption scandal.
The White House has pushed back on claims that Ukraine was frozen out of its drafting, following meetings between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.
An unnamed US official told CBS News that the plan was drawn up immediately following discussions with Rustem Umerov, a senior member of Zelensky's administration, who agreed to the majority of it.
Umerov reportedly made several modifications before presenting it to Zelensky.
In a post on Telegram, Umerov said he did not provide any assessments or approvals of the plan, adding that Ukraine was still carefully considering our partners' proposals.
Zelensky has been careful not to publicly criticize or reject the plan, stating he appreciated the efforts of President Trump and his team to return security to Europe, perhaps to keep the US president on side despite his administration's apparent soft approach to Russia.
His office said the plan, in the US's assessment, could help reinvigorate diplomacy.
Zelensky said he would discuss the proposals with Donald Trump in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated it had not received anything official from the US on its peace plan. We are seeing some new elements, but officially we haven't received anything. There has been no substantive discussion of those points, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said, adding that Russia remains completely open to peace talks.
Russia has long said that any deal would have to address the root causes of the conflict - a term Moscow uses for a series of maximalist demands tantamount to surrender for Ukraine.
Trump has grown frustrated with negotiations with Moscow, culminating in fresh sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil producers that came into effect on Friday.
Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, and Russian troops have made slow advances along the vast front line, despite huge reported combat casualties.
Kyiv and its European allies have long sought a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that ensures no further territorial loss to Russia.
European involvement in drafting the plan has been questioned; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, Not that I know of, indicating that any effective plan must involve Ukrainians and Europeans.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the draft as a list of topics and options rather than a fully fleshed-out plan.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have discussed the plan with Zelensky.
The leaked draft proposes limiting Ukraine's military to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets stationed in neighboring Poland and plans for Ukraine to forgo many of its weapons.
Kyiv would receive reliable security guarantees, though specifics have not been provided. It is also expected that Russia will not invade its neighbors and that NATO will not expand further.
The draft suggests Russia will be reintegrated into the global economy through lifted sanctions and an invitation to rejoin the G7, restoring it as the G8.
Feedback from Ukrainians reflects deep discontent with the plan, with many expressing fears it is not a genuine peace initiative but rather a continuation of hostilities.
