SURVEY OF THE DAY: Is Zelensky wise to consider Trump's most recent proposal for peace in Russia? Donald Trumpofficials have reached inU...
- SURVEY OF THE DAY: Is Zelensky wise to consider Trump's most recent proposal for peace in Russia?
Donald Trumpofficials have reached inUkrainein an attempt to compel Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyinto endorsing a comprehensive new peace agreement that sources have characterized as 'strongly favoring Vladimir'Putin'.
The 28-point plan, which would compel Ukraine to hand over the rest of the eastern Donbas area to Moscow and reduce its military by 50 percent, is expected to be seen as a capitulation inKyiv, bestowing the Russian President with extraordinary authority.
Heavily influenced by the Trump-mediatedGazaA truce agreement was secretly developed by a team of Russian and American officials, with Ukraine excluded from the discussion regarding its future.
Among the strict actions that might be imposed on Kyiv is the necessity to discard certain types of weaponry, along with the reduction of essential U.S. military support, making the nation more exposed to potential attacks fromMoscow.
Additional compromises that are likely to be seen as significant setbacks for Ukraine's political independence include recognizing Russian as an official state language and granting official status to the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church in the occupied areas.
The strategy is "very comfortable for Putin," a person who has been informed about the proposal said to the Financial Times, while another referred to it as "strongly biased" in favor of the Russian leader.
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is set to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday to 'talk about ways to conclude the conflict,' although the Ukrainian leader is expected to find several provisions in the proposed plan unacceptable, perceiving them as significant compromises toward Moscow.
The disclosed plan emerged as Russia initiated one of its fiercest attacks on Ukraine so far since the large-scale invasion began in February 2022, targeting homes and power infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of civilians, including children.
The initial suggestion strongly corresponds to the Kremlin's long-standing, extreme aspirations for land control, compelling Ukraine to hand over the whole of Donbas to Russia, leaving Kyiv vulnerable to additional assaults.
Although Ukraine would maintain legal possession of the valuable eastern region, Moscow would pay an unknown rental fee for actual control of the area, as reported by those familiar with the situation.
Kyiv's capacity to protect itself would be significantly reduced: Ukraine would not be allowed to have long-range missiles, foreign military forces would be banned from being stationed within the country, and diplomatic planes would be stopped from landing there.
The timing of the suggestion holds importance. It is probable that Trump detected vulnerability on the Ukrainian side due to a corruption issue involving the president, resulting in the parliament removing the energy and justice ministers on Wednesday.
Ukraine has also faced significant challenges in the conflict recently, as Russian forces moved into the key city of Pokrovsk and continued to push ahead in other areas along the front line.
The capture of the city indicates that Moscow is making significant progress toward controlling the Donetsk region, which it already oversees in approximately three-quarters of its area.
The 28-point strategy would signal further territorial setbacks, compelling Ukraine to surrender the entire Donbas region: the key industrial area consisting of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In August, Russia held approximately 88 percent of the eastern province, nearly all of Luhansk, and about 75 percent of Donetsk. Zelensky has consistently rejected the idea of giving up the strategically significant area, yet the agreement limits his options significantly.
The Donbas region is abundant in coal and minerals, meaning that in return for managing the economically valuable area, the Kremlin would be anticipated to pay a land fee, according to sources who spoke to the Telegraph.
"Although under Russian control, the regions in Donbas from which Ukraine would withdraw would be designated as a demilitarized zone, preventing Russia from stationing forces there," stated the outlet Axios, which initially reported the draft proposal.
In two other war-ravaged areas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the existing lines of control would likely remain unchanged, with Russia potentially returning certain territories, pending discussions.
In addition, soldiers are suffering injuries and experiencing exhaustion after nearly four years of conflict, leading to a significant shortage of personnel in Kyiv: approximately four out of five Ukrainians are leaving military training centers after being conscripted, as stated by Roman Kostenko, the secretary of the parliament's security committee.
The contentious plan was developed by Trump's representative, Steve Witkoff, and Kremlin advisor Kirill Dmitriev, who spent three days in Florida at the end of October.
Witkoff subsequently presented the plan to Rustem Umerov, Zelensky's national security advisor, in Miami, emphasizing his desire for the Ukrainian leader to agree to its conditions—despite Kyiv's historical resistance to such compromises.
Neither the Kremlin nor the White House has officially responded to the suggestion.
However, in a worrying indication for Ukraine, Dmitriev stated that the U.S. peace proposal was expected to be approved by Moscow as 'we sense that the Russian perspective is genuinely being considered'.
"Things are unfolding against the backdrop of Russia undoubtedly achieving more victories on the battlefield," Dmitriev said to Axios.
EU's foreign affairs representative, Kaja Kallas, stated on Thursday that Kyiv and Europe must be included in any peace initiative for Ukraine.
"Any plan must have the support of Ukrainians and Europeans," Kallas said to reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
We must recognize that in this conflict, there is one aggressor and one victim. Therefore, we have not heard of any compromises from the Russian side.
A source informed AFP that it remained uncertain whether the proposals had received the personal support of the U.S. President.
Kallas mentioned that, to her knowledge, there had been no contribution from Ukraine or its European supporters.
"We welcome every constructive initiative aimed at ending this conflict, but as we have mentioned earlier, it must be fair and enduring," she stated.
If Russia genuinely sought peace, it could have already accepted an unconditional ceasefire.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that peace in Ukraine should not equate to 'surrender' for Kyiv.
He stated that discussions are necessary for us to achieve a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, and they should begin with a ceasefire along the contact line, enabling structured talks on territorial and security issues.
The proposals were reported as Russia initiated intense attacks on western Ukraine on Tuesday night, targeting civilian facilities, which sources in Kyiv labeled as 'war crimes'.
The interior ministry of Ukraine stated that 25 individuals, among them three children, were killed in attacks that demolished apartment buildings in the city of Ternopil, with approximately80 additional individuals were injured when Russia launched 476 drones and 48 missiles.
Russian drones also targeted residential buildings in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, resulting in 46 injuries, including two children aged nine and 13.
Every bold assault on everyday life demonstrates that the pressure on Russia is not enough," Zelensky wrote on X. "Stronger sanctions and support for Ukraine can make a difference.
Trump's attempts to mediate a conclusion to the conflict have not yet succeeded, and he recently canceled a scheduled meeting with Putin in Budapest.
Peace talks have largely stalled since the most recent meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska in August, with Kyiv and Moscow having not engaged in direct discussions since the summer.
Russian troops hold approximately 19 percent of Ukrainian land and are advancing steadily, while repeatedly striking the country's energy systems as winter arrives.
Zelensky met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, aiming to 'enhance' peace talks.
He was scheduled to meet with Witkoff, but the discussion was delayed as the Ukrainian President planned to address a different proposal developed by EU partners, which the Trump administration believed would not be agreeable to Putin, according to a U.S. official from Axios.
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