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Last month, President Donald Trump outlined his "peace plan" to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As he pressured Ukraine to agree to the proposal, Russia launched devastating attacks on civilians in Kyiv. At least 12 civilians were killed, and several residential buildings were destroyed on April 24. The strikes should be a wake-up call to the Trump administration: Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted. Should the U.S. force Ukraine into a peace deal on Putin's terms, it will have serious long-term consequences — not only for Ukraine and Europe, but for the national security of the U.S. and the future of peace on our planet.

For over three years, Ukrainians have bravely defended their democracy from Putin's savage invasion. At his direction, Russian troops have brazenly killed more than 12,000 civilians, destroying apartment complexes, schools, hospitals and shopping malls, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The world will never forget the atrocities of the Bucha massacre. Ukrainian civilians were executed in the streets and in their homes by Russian soldiers. Approximately 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia, in many cases after their parents were murdered by Russian forces. The war crimes orchestrated by Putin are too many to list, which is precisely why the Trump administration must tread carefully in their negotiations to bring the war to an end.

To be clear: I strongly support an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As one of only 133 members of the House of Representatives to vote against authorizing the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, I have a record of opposing endless war. But an end to this war must accomplish two things: First, Ukraine must have security guarantees by their fellow democracies to ensure that they will never again face the horrific destruction wrought by Putin. Second, no agreement can include formal recognition by the U.S. that illegally seized territories belong to Russia. Unfortunately, Trump's reported plan fails on both accounts.

Under Trump's proposal, the U.S. would formally recognize the Crimean Peninsula, illegally seized by Putin in 2014, as Russian territory. The U.S. would also de facto recognize Russian control over portions of four Ukrainian districts that have fallen during Russia's invasion. The people of Ukraine would forever be denied the opportunity to ascend to NATO membership, the U.S. Treasury would lift sanctions on Russia and the U.S. would resume diplomatic and economic relations. In return, Ukraine would receive vague security guarantees to be determined later, likely without the participation of the United States.

When pressed for details on Russian concessions during an Oval Office news event, Trump said: "Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country. Pretty big concession." His comments are deeply alarming. Trump seems to be negotiating solely on Putin's terms. This is not a plan for lasting peace. It is a plan to surrender a sovereign, democratic nation.

Forcing Trump's proposal upon Ukraine would have steep consequences for Ukraine and Europe. Russia's militarized economy will continue to produce munitions, drones and other weapons of war on a vast scale. Russia's military will rebuild positions on the borders of NATO nations like Finland, Poland and the Baltic states. Without security guarantees, Ukraine would be left twisting in the wind until Putin feels his military can advance his imperial ambitions. Ukrainian democracy will wither under a Russian sword of Damocles. It is Ukraine's future at stake, and Ukrainians must have a say in how this war ends.

In the long term, Trump's plan would lead to something far more sinister: The destruction of our rules-based international order and validation by the U.S. that the seizure of one nation's sovereign territory by another is justified. This is precisely what the post-World War II international order, led by the U.S., was designed to stop. A global system in which nations can illegally seize territory from one another based on the whims of a dictator is what resulted in more than 100 million dead in the cataclysms of World Wars I and II.

If Trump's plan is adopted, this is the world order that the U.S. leaves in its wake. Putin's invasion of Ukraine will be the blueprint for any tyrant inclined to expand his nation's territory. Do we think the People's Republic of China would hesitate to use this plan as pretext for a future invasion of Taiwan? Of course not.

America must not lead the world back to an unstable and violent pre-World War II order where might makes right. Forcing Ukraine to accept Trump's current proposal would bring false peace — and will end in greater disaster for us all.

Betty McCollum, a Democrat, represents Minnesota's Fourth District in the U.S. House.