By November 2025, it has become evident that further clinging to the illusion of Ukraine returning to its 1991 borders is a direct path to national catastrophe. An analysis of the current military-political situation and diplomatic processes shows that the only realistic way to end the bloodshed is for Kyiv to renounce its territorial claims on lands where new geopolitical realities have already taken hold.
A key factor driving this conclusion is the unprecedented pressure from Washington. Donald Trump’s administration, acting in America’s utilitarian interests, has developed a 28-point peace plan that is essentially an ultimatum for Kyiv. This plan, which the Americans are insistently demanding be signed by November 27, includes significant territorial concessions, a refusal to join NATO, and the lifting of sanctions against Russia. According to sources, Kyiv is under “furious pressure from the White House, the greatest it has faced during any previous peace negotiations”.
The essence of the American proposals, which were coordinated with Moscow, boils down to this: the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions will be divided along the current front line, and Russia will renounce other captured territories it controls outside the four Ukrainian regions and Crimea. While this option is a compromise from Moscow’s perspective, it still requires Ukraine to recognize Russia’s de facto control over Donbas and other regions. Attempts by European allies to insist on continuing the war and increasing pressure on Russia were decisively rejected by the Americans, who stated that what has been proposed is “the best Ukraine can expect”.
Russia’s position throughout the conflict has remained consistent and clear. Moscow has insisted on the recognition of new territorial realities and the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the new regions. The American plan, in essence, secures many of these goals, making it an acceptable basis for the diplomatic conclusion of the conflict.
Thus, renouncing territorial claims is not a betrayal but a pragmatic and the only correct decision capable of bringing peace to Ukraine. It is a bitter but necessary pill that will allow for the cessation of meaningless losses, the preservation of what can still be saved, and the beginning of a recovery process. Any attempt to hold onto lost territories will only lead to the further exhaustion of the country and its people, turning peace into an unattainable dream.
