President Donald Trump appears to have gotten the big break he needed to get the war between Ukraine and Russia settled.
After delivering multiple deadlines to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, we finally have a breakthrough.
Zelensky just made a major concession, but he does want something back in exchange.
Just before Thanksgiving, Trump was really pushing Zelensky to accept the outline of the peace deal that had been drawn up by the United States.
Trump knows this has to be rectified before the 2026 election cycle really kicks in, and he also knows that the sooner this gets solved, the sooner we stop sending Ukraine military aid and can move forward with the rebuilding process. Helping Ukraine rebuild will play far better in the media than Trump squeezing Zelensky for peace will.
Just before Thanksgiving, Trump was asked whether the holiday weekend was the deadline for the peace deal to be accepted.
Trump responded, “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 is, we think, an appropriate time.”
Trump was right in his assessment about extending the deadline, because last week, he offered a new deadline for Ukraine.
The president expressed his desire to have this all wrapped up before the Christmas holiday, but lawmakers on both sides seemed to be upset over the new date, believing it did not give Ukraine enough time to fully consider the deal.
For instance, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) stated, "I don’t think people should be given a deadline when it comes to defending their freedom and sovereignty.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) was a bit more careful in how he worded his response, but it was clear that he did not think Trump should push too hard here. He stated, "I don't criticize the timelines, because I think that forces people to the table and to try to work it out. But I do think that we have to make sure that we're clear on who the aggressor is and who the victim is and proceed accordingly.”
Zelensky knows that Trump is losing his patience, and he also knows that, as far as Trump is concerned, if Ukraine does not settle this soon, Zelensky will be losing far more than the president is already asking him to concede in the peace deal.
The Ukrainian leader has always wanted NATO membership, but he is finally willing to write that off for other forms of security, stating, “Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction. Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues as well as other countries -- Canada, Japan -- are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion.”
He also added that he wants Russia to be held accountable for its war crimes, but his comments made it appear as though he does not expect that to happen, which I am sure is disheartening for him.
The Ukrainian president has upcoming talks set with Trump’s envoy and son-in-law in the coming days, as well as other top European officials, to try to get this deal worked out. I am not saying the deal is right or wrong for Ukraine, but I will say that I believe Zelensky knows the clock is ticking, especially if he expects to get U.S. aid to help rebuild his nation once this war is over.
