Trump has already agreed - will Zelensky be replaced?

This includes supporting the Kremlin's four-point "peace plan" -- undermining Kyiv's position -- and pushing a global narrative calling for the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky among other pro-Russian actions, according to interviews previously published by the Kyiv Post with senior Ukrainian officials.

The documents suggest that Washington has become more receptive to the Kremlin's narrative about the origins of the war -- one that Moscow is now aggressively promoting to Western audiences, the sources said. This narrative argues that NATO expansion and alleged discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine were key drivers of the conflict.

According to multiple sources, Moscow is increasingly confident that the US is ready to meet most of its demands, including making Zelensky's removal a precondition for any negotiated settlement.

Sources attribute this apparent change in US positioning to direct talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, ongoing peace talks in Saudi Arabia and thawing relations between the US and Russia.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Ben Curtis

A spokesperson for the US State Department declined to confirm or deny the new report to the Kyiv Post.

The Russian "peace plan" in four points

The strained bilateral relationship between Washington and Moscow has encouraged the Kremlin to set out a series of non-negotiable demands that it hopes will serve as the basis for any peace settlement - terms that sources say have met with interest in Washington.

Multiple sources in the Ukrainian diplomatic and intelligence communities with direct knowledge of Russia's demands confirmed that U.S. officials said they were prepared to concede at least four major points of Moscow's plan:

End of Western military support - Moscow insists on ending all arms deliveries, intelligence sharing and training for Ukrainian forces. It remains unclear whether this request applies only to US aid or to European aid as well.

Recognition of territories under Russian control - Russia seeks international recognition of Crimea, Kherson, Zaporozhye, "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic" as Russian territories. In September 2022, Russia formally included the regions in its constitution.

Restoring the importance of Russian culture, language and church - Moscow wants to restore the prominent status of Russian culture in Ukraine by re-centering the Russian language, Russian media and the Russian Orthodox Church in everyday life - steps that would effectively reverse Ukraine's post-2014 policies aimed at reducing Russian influence.

To return to the terms of the Draft Agreement of the Istanbul Protocol - the Kremlin is in favor of "a return to the terms of the Istanbul Agreement on all issues". The draft Istanbul Protocol agreement was a set of draft peace proposals negotiated by Ukraine and Russia in March 2022, which included talks on Ukraine's neutrality, security guarantees and limits on its military in exchange for the withdrawal of Russian troops. A return to Istanbul would be, in the eyes of many experts, unfavorable for the interests of Ukraine.

Intensification of efforts to oust Zelensky

The Kremlin has stepped up an aggressive disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Zelensky, the sources said, portraying him as an obstacle to ending the war.

"Russia is trying to use the tensions between the US and Ukrainian presidential teams to push the 'Istanbul theses' as demands on Ukraine for a possible cessation of hostilities and future peace agreements," a senior Ukrainian government official told the Kyiv Post.

Russian media are increasingly directed to push narratives that question Zelensky's legitimacy, one source said, in an attempt to spread the idea that he is clinging to power while obstructing a negotiated settlement.

Tanjug/Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP

The ongoing campaign, which is aimed primarily at American audiences, seeks to erode American political and public support for Ukraine and includes narratives that Trump appears to have repeated several times in Oval Office speeches over the past month.

A Kyiv-based specialist in Russian disinformation in Ukraine, who asked not to be named because of current political sensitivities, confirmed there has been an increase in efforts to discredit the Ukrainian government and push the United States toward Kremlin-backed narratives.

Sources said the Kremlin's ultimate goal appeared to be to pressure Zelensky to lift Ukraine's ban on talks with Russia and call elections -- steps that could pave the way for a more pro-Moscow government in Kyiv.

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Moscow is also cooperating with Ukrainian political figures abroad, sources familiar with the matter confirmed, laying the groundwork for the emergence of pro-Russian candidates in future elections.

"It's all true," confirmed a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer regarding the document and Russia's plans. "This is really happening."

Another senior Ukrainian government official with knowledge of the situation said a "significant amount of information" obtained by Ukrainian diplomats indicated that Russia was "trying to exploit differences between the Ukrainian and American sides to push its vision of future peace talks."

The specific goal of these narratives is to "destabilize the socio-political situation in Ukraine," the source said.