We have potentially explosive news tonight, and it now appears that a major foreign policy scandal may be far more serious than anyone initially realized. I am writing this from thirty five thousand feet in the air because the urgency of what we have just learned cannot wait. If you value this kind of real time reporting, even when I am mid flight, I hope you will consider subscribing. I am committed to getting this information to you the moment it breaks, and not even being in the sky will slow me down.
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For the past week, a twenty eight point proposal for ending the war in Ukraine has circulated widely in Washington and across European capitals. The plan called for Ukraine to surrender large portions of its territory in exchange for a ceasefire. It sparked outrage from bipartisan groups of senators and drew criticism from European leaders who warned that the plan would reward aggression and undermine international law. Until now, most of the world believed this proposal had originated from American political figures close to President Donald Trump.
New information suggests that this assumption may have been entirely wrong.
This evening, Republican Senator Mike Rounds revealed that the document was not American at all. According to Rounds, after conversations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, it appears the plan was in fact a Russian authored proposal that eventually found its way into the hands of American representatives.
Rounds explained the situation in detail. He stated that Rubio had informed lawmakers that they were merely recipients of a proposal delivered to one of their representatives. It was never a United States government recommendation and never a sanctioned American peace plan. Rounds emphasized that the document had been shared only as an intermediary gesture and that it had been leaked to the public without the involvement of any member of Congress. He added that Ukraine would have the opportunity to respond to the proposal, but what the world has seen so far reflects only one party’s interests.
His full quote is below:
This revelation raises new questions about how the document entered the public narrative and why it was so widely interpreted as an American initiative. Senator Angus King backed Rounds up:
Earlier this week, Axios published the twenty eight point plan and framed it as a proposal tied to American political actors. That reporting an embarrassing moment online when Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s chief negotiators, accidentally posted a private message on social media. The message indicated that Axios had received the proposal from an individual referred to only as “K.”
Observers suspected this was a reference to a Russian official or intermediary. Today’s confirmation that the plan likely originated with Russia strengthens that interpretation.
While the media treated the proposal as American in origin, prominent Republican figures leaned into it. Vice President J.D. Vance and President Trump both embraced the twenty eight point list and urged Ukraine to accept its terms before Thanksgiving.
Their support appeared to give the document legitimacy and created the impression that the United States was pressuring Ukraine to surrender territory.
Meanwhile, tonight, the United States Department is saying that the several Senators are lying about what Marco Rubio allegedly told them:
Rubio just tweeted, from his personal (not his official account, that seemingly this was a United States plan, calling the Senators liars?
If today’s statements are accurate, the reality is starkly different. What was widely believed to be an American peace plan was in fact a Russian wishlist that had been mischaracterized, leaked, and then amplified at the highest levels of American politics. The implications are significant both for United States foreign policy and for the credibility of the officials who championed the proposal.
The situation continues to develop, but tonight’s revelations point to a major breakdown in communication, vetting, and political judgment. What looked like a controversial but genuine American initiative now appears to have been a foreign document that managed to shape the American political conversation for days. It is a stunning moment with far reaching consequences for diplomacy, media accountability, and national security.
As more information emerges, the central question becomes clear. How did a Russian authored proposal come to be reported as American policy, and why were leading politicians willing to endorse it before its origins were fully understood? And, who is lying? Rubio or the Senators?
Updated to include Rubio’s new remarks.