Ukrainian soldiers react to US peace plan

Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines reacted to a draft U.S. peace proposal with a mixture of contempt, anger and resignation.

The BBC spoke to six people who sent us their views on the original US plan via social media and email, details of which leaked last week.

Since then, U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators Have been working hard to revise the proposal — and will continue to discuss the “peace framework.”

Regarding the original US plan, Yaroslav in eastern Ukraine said it was “terrible… no one will support it”, while a military doctor whose call sign was Stutzer dismissed it as “an absolutely shameful draft peace plan that does not deserve our attention”.

But one soldier, call sign “Snake,” told us “it’s time to agree on at least some things.”

Here’s what soldiers interviewed by the BBC had to say about some of the key points in America’s original draft peace plan.

The United States presents a draft peace proposal amid significant progress on the Russian battlefield. In the past month alone, Ukraine has lost another 450 square kilometers of land to Russia.

Kyiv still controls about 15% of the Donbass region, the eastern Ukrainian region that includes the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and is a key Russian war target. But the original U.S. plan proposed that Ukraine abandon the entire region, or even parts of it that it had successfully defended during nearly four years of all-out war.

“Let them take it,” Snake told the BBC. “The cities and villages are almost empty of people… We are not fighting for the people, we are fighting for the land, and we are losing more people.”

Ukrainian General Staff official Andry said the Luhansk and Donetsk proposals were “painful and difficult” but said the country may have no choice.

Ukraine has been defending parts of Donbas since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and its proxy forces occupied the region. “We may not want to give it up, but we can’t control it with military power and resources,” Andry said.

Eastern Ukraine was the most fiercely fought area in the war, and Ukraine lost tens of thousands of its defense troops.

Matros, who has been fighting since 2018, told CNN that abandoning Donbass would “unravel everything – all the efforts of the armed forces.”

“It will disregard the lives of fallen soldiers and civilians,” he said.

The draft U.S. peace plan envisages limiting the size of Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 men. That’s still a lot more than the 250,000 or so people before the full invasion, but less than what it is today. Latest estimates put Ukraine’s military strength at more than 800,000 men.

Sinek believes that after the war is over, the country will need many active-duty soldiers to help rebuild Ukraine. “What’s the point of having so many people in the army if there’s security?” he asked.

Staff officer Andre agreed. “If there is security, then of course there is no need to retain such a large army,” he said. “People are tired and want to return to their families. There is no reason for them to stay in the peacetime army after the war.” He believes that Ukraine’s economy cannot sustain such a large armed force in peacetime.

Army medic Stutzer disagreed, saying the Ukrainian military “is the only thing that saved us from defeat and servitude,” while Matros called proposals to reduce the size of the armed forces “ridiculous and manipulative.”

Ukraine’s willingness to agree to these recommendations will depend on its future security guarantees.

The U.S. draft plan rules out Ukraine joining NATO but not the European Union. The United States has pledged to provide security guarantees if Russia launches another attack, but has provided no further details on support measures. The draft also excludes the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine if a deal is reached.

But Yevhen, a drone operator in eastern Ukraine, sees the presence of foreign troops in the country as an important security guarantee. Britain and France have been working to provide “guaranteing power” in the event of a ceasefire through a “coalition of the willing”.

“I like the British plan to send troops to Ukraine (through this alliance),” he said. “That’s the only plan that’s going to help us win, and that’s bringing in Allied forces.”

But Staff Officer Andry does not believe that Europe can provide much security. “Europe has proven to be completely spineless and divided,” he said. “It seems like all hope is pinned on the United States.”

However, other soldiers said there is not a lot of confidence in the United States either. “The American security guarantees provided by the current administration are no guarantees at all,” Stusser said.

The U.S. draft plan proposes that Ukraine hold new elections within 100 days of the end of the war. Under the Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot be held during wartime.

But there are signs of growing dissatisfaction with the current government, which faces serious corruption charges. Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is currently investigating allegations that individuals profited as much as $100m (£76m) from energy industry contracts.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has already been forced to fire two ministers, both of whom have denied the accusations. A former deputy prime minister and business associate is also under investigation. The scandal led to political infighting and made headlines here.

This is also a hot topic up front. Among the soldiers we interviewed, some supported new elections. “Of course they are needed — the people in power right now are not trusted,” Sinek said. Marin, another soldier, also backed the elections, saying the current government “needs to be purged of corruption,” while Andry agreed to a “complete reorganization of the government” through new elections, although not immediately.

New elections are likely to be the least controversial proposal in the plan. But overall, there are serious misgivings about the U.S. proposal. Yaroslav tells us it simply “won’t work,” while Oleksandr dismisses it with expletives.

A clear message from those we interviewed was that many are tired of fighting. Andry expressed concerns about some of the proposals, but concluded: “If it stops the war, then it works for me.”