Ukraine could have three of its territories taken by Russia in the US-backed plan it has agreed to, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Under the original US-backed plan, which has since been revised, Ukraine would lose Crimea and most of the Donbas region, including parts that Russia has not officially taken.
The new 19-point plan reportedly allows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump to negotiate further on territory swaps. It is unclear how much land the new deal stipulates Ukraine must give up.
In previous talks, Zelensky stated that Kyiv would never recognize any territory annexed by Russia as belonging to Moscow.
Zelensky stated on Tuesday that his country’s borders "cannot be changed by force."
Russia currently controls up to one-fifth of Ukraine in the eastern regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
Donetsk and Luhansk are frequently referred to as the Donbas region, where Russia has made large advances. Ukraine still controls about 10% of Donbas - an area of about 5,000 sq.km. in mostly northern Donetsk, Reuters reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Donbas is now legally part of Russia. Kyiv and most Western nations reject Moscow's seizure of the territory as an illegal land grab.
What territory could Ukraine cede in the US-proposed deal?
The initial US proposal stated that Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk would be "recognized as de facto Russian, including by the United States."
Ukraine would withdraw its forces from the Donetsk region, and the area would become a "neutral demilitarized buffer zone," which no Russian troops could enter.
As for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, all fighting would freeze along the current line of conflict, meaning Ukraine’s borders would de facto start there.
The initial proposal also calls for Russia to release "other agreed territories" that it controls outside of the other five regions, Bloomberg reported.
Both the initial and the revised proposal called for robust security guarantees for Ukraine.
However, Ukraine would notably be left vulnerable to another Russian attack under the proposed plan.
The Institute for the Study of War stated in a Thursday report that a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk would force it to "withdraw to lines that would largely be indefensible against renewed Russian aggression."
The ISW report also noted that the plan would give Russia “easy access” to a key Ukrainian defensive line if Donetsk was turned into a demilitarized buffer zone.
Russia would also likely be able to launch additional attacks along the current lines of conflict.
When could the agreement be finalized?
While he initially set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine, Trump later reversed course and said, "The deadline for me is when it's over."
Trump said negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions.
In his nightly video address, Zelensky said that the US proposal "can be developed into deeper agreements," and added that he was "counting on further active cooperation with the American side and with President Trump."
However, in an earlier post on X/Twitter that the war with Russia was still ongoing.