Rabat – A 28-point US-brokered peace plan to end the Russo-Ukrainian war was released yesterday. The majority of the plan requires serious concessions from Ukraine – effectively handing Moscow nearly everything they want, according to many.
The plan has been in the works covertly for weeks, but was officially approved by US President Donald Trump after Ukrainian, Russian, and American envoys held separate meetings with various counterparts.
Although the first point of the plan states that “Ukraine’s sovereignty will be confirmed,” it comes at a price for Kyiv.
The rest of the plan appeals to Moscow, requiring Ukraine to cede territory, limit its military, and abandon its aim of joining NATO. More specifically, Crimea and parts of the Donbas – the main contested territories between Ukraine and Russia – will officially be Russian-held. And Ukrainian Armed Forces are expected to be capped at 600,000 personnel.
All of these points are at the core of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Washington threatens to cut off military intelligence aid and weapons if Ukraine does not consent to the deal and has made it clear that Ukraine is expected to sign the peace plan by an aggressive deadline of November 27.
In a press meeting on Friday, Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will “have to like it,” referring to the deal. “If he doesn’t like it, then they should just keep fighting I guess.”
A shift in rhetoric
Trump’s push to end the war has amounted to nothing since he took to his second term in office. His frustration with the ‘never ending war’ has recently turned from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Zelenskyy.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukraine has become the top recipient for US foreign aid ($17.2 billion). There has been, however, a major and consequential shift in rhetoric toward the conflict under the Trump administration.
Since Trump’s second term in office, US-Ukrainian relations have been rocky while once-icy relations between Moscow and Washington have seemingly melted.
At a peace summit in August at an American airbase in Alaska, Trump quite literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin’s first visit to the US since 2015.
He pulled out all the typical Trump stops – a flyover of four F-22 jets and a B-2 stealth bomber before discussing the end of the war in Ukraine, and wrapping up with a cordial press meeting in which Trump claimed “great progress” was made.
Trump’s treatment of Zelensky, in comparison to Putin, is a stark contrast.
NATO and Eastern Europe
The deal puts not only Ukraine in a tough position, but NATO as well, as Eastern Europe continues to strengthen its eastern flank in response to continued Russian air violations.
NATO voiced that “borders must not be changed by force.”
The peace deal seems to be a manifestation of the infamous, brazen Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy earlier this year.
Zelenskyy maintains that the proposed plan puts Ukraine in a bind: “Now the pressure on Ukraine is one of the most difficult. Now Ukraine may find itself facing a difficult choice. Either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner.”
