This week, it was revealed that the Trump administration had created a 28-point peace plan for Russia and Ukraine.
The deal would require significant concessions of territory on Ukraine's part, something that is likely to create resistance from the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is putting Ukraine immediately on the clock, telling Zelensky that if he does not sign onto the deal soon, Ukraine will lose significant American support.
Trump has put together a peace deal for Ukraine and Russia, but it will take some serious bending on the part of Ukraine for the agreement to work.
It more or less freezes the war as-is, which is not necessarily a good thing for Ukraine because it would call for numerous territories to be ceded to Russia.
For instance, Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk would be recognized as de facto Russian lands. Additionally, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would see their boundaries frozen along the lines of contact.
After the full plan began to emerge, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “President Trump has made it very clear since day one, and even on the campaign trail, that he wants to see this war come to an end. He has grown increasingly frustrated with both sides of this war, Russia and Ukraine alike, for their refusal to commit to a peace agreement. Nevertheless, the president and his national security team are steadfast in seeing this war come to an end.”
Trump warned Ukraine that if it does not take this deal now, it will continue to lose land at a rapid pace, more or less saying that this is as good a deal as Ukraine is going to get.
He stated, “They’re losing land. They’re losing land.”
Trump then added, “We’re in it for one thing. We want the killing to -- you know, they lost 25,000 people last month between the two countries, 25,000 people. It’s out of control. It’s a bloodbath.”
The choice for Zelensky is not an easy one to make, as he has long been adamant that he does not want to cede territory to Russia.
Intense pressure is being applied, and Zelensky is not ignorant about the reality of the situation, stating that Ukraine is now facing a “very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.” He continued, “Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest.”
That pressure was ramped up further when Trump appeared to put a clock on the deal, warning that aid and intelligence could be pulled from Ukraine, according to a Reuters report.
When Trump was asked about a deadline for acceptance of the offer, he stated, “Well, we have, you know, I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday [Nov. 27] is, we think, an appropriate time.”
Trump knows that he needs this war to end, and if Ukraine has to give up land to make that happen, so be it. I am not sure how that will play out on a global scale or on Trump’s foreign policy approval rating, but I do know Americans are sick and tired of paying for this faraway conflict. I think Trump would likely take a hit for strongarming Ukraine, but in the end, I think the relief of the war coming to an end will outweigh the aftermath in which the United States would play a significant role in helping Ukraine rebuild.
