Yaroslav Trofimov
@yarotrof

Zelensky's standing is precarious amid the corruption scandal as even some of his party's MPs demand the firing of Yermak and a unity government with the anti-Russian parts of the opposition. This moment of weakness means that the last thing Zelensky can afford politically at home is to agree to the concessions of the supposed Witkoff-Dmitriev plan, whatever they are. Being seen to buckle to Russian demands because his buddies were just caught stuffing their pockets would be political death.

Oliver Carroll @olliecarroll
Zelensky's embattled chief-of-staff Andrii Yermak confirms attendance at talks in Turkey. Claims all planned meetings will go ahead. But pointedly notes "constant contact" with Special Rep Witkoff and White House. I.e. short of face-to-face meeting that had been planned. x.com/andriyyermak/s...

Christopher Miller
@ChristopherJM

New: I can confirm a hasty US-Russia proposal being pushed to Ukrainians via Dmitriev-Witkoff to Umerov. It would amount to Ukraine's capitulation, with people familiar telling me it's merely the Kremlin's maximalist demands.
Includes:
-Ukraine army cut in half
-Give up certain weapons
-Give up Donbas
-Zelensky displeased
More tk @FT

Oliver Carroll
@olliecarroll

My understanding of hashed US-Russian peace plan. As ugly as you'd expect:
-- Ukr army 2.5 x reduction. Only Ukr army. Note: not 2x as speculated
-- No foreign troops in Ukraine
-- No foreign diplomatic planes in Ukraine
-- Ban on long range weapons that can reach ST P, Mos

Alex Wickham
@alexwickham

NEW: European officials say Russia is once again trying to play the US and Steve Witkoff with new 'talks' on Ukraine.

Some reports in the US today suggested a new US-Russia peace plan could bring a deal 'within days'.

But sources in Europe are expressing a lot of scepticism, noting we've been here before with Witkoff and Russia and it's fallen apart.

Europe is not involved in these talks. It's unclear who on the US side is backing them. It looks like another Witkoff-Dmitriev idea that concedes to Russian demands.

European sources also stress that as ever there should be a massive health warning on anything Dmitriev says.

Europeans note that Russia is desperate to avoid US sanctions and whenever it comes under economic pressure it pretends to the US it's interested in a deal.

Russian fuel shipments in the first half of November fell to the lowest since the invasion of Ukraine began, a further sign that sanctions are hurting.

And they say there remains no indication that Putin has moved from his same maximalist demands.

It's another lurch on the rollercoaster but cold water poured on the idea anything major has yet changed or is imminent. The 'plan' is ultimately only going to go anywhere if Trump / Rubio / Ukraine all back it and there's no indication yet on any of those.

Kateryna Lisunova @KaterynaLis

More and more sources suggest that the so‑called Dmitriev-Witkoff "peace plan" is nothing more than a deliberate Russian leak meant to exploit a moment of vulnerability for Ukraine. This is described in detail in a publication by @SergiyKyslytsya, First Deputy Foreign Minister and former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations.

"I'm reading about some 'plans' here, and at least two things come to mind: Gosplan -- the State Planning Committee of the USSR, a factory of unrealistic plans -- and IPSYOP, Information Psychological Operations, meaning the planned manipulation of information to influence people's thoughts and emotions. This is different from ordinary fakes because it's deliberate and goal-driven. It's also used to sow panic and divide society. So they hype up today rumors about "plans", one says?"