At Axios Barak Ravid, Colin Demarest, and Dave Lawler report on the reaction of Ukrainian President Zelensky to the Trump Administration’s latest proposed peace plan:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Thursday that he’s willing to work with the Trump administration on its new plan for peace in Ukraine, U.S. and Ukrainian officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The plan calls on Ukraine to make enormous concessions, including handing over territory to Russia that Ukraine currently controls. But rather than reject it outright, Zelensky agreed to negotiate — and his office said he expects to discuss it with President Trump in the coming days.
but
- The plan includes elements that are seen as highly Moscow-friendly, such as limitations on the size and capabilities of the Ukrainian military after the war, according to a Ukrainian official.
- Ukraine has repeatedly rejected such proposals in the past.
I’m not particularly sanguine about this latest plans chances for just those reasons.
I’m still waiting for someone to propose a plan that allows Ukraine to prevail under the terms that President Zelensky has argued for. I’ve been waiting for two years.
As I see it there are several possible ways of looking at the conflict:
- As long as it weakens the Russians, who cares how long the conflict drags on? The longer the better.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was contrary to its commitments under the UN Charter and we should oppose it.
- The above plus “whatever it takes, however long it takes.”
- It’s none of our business.
My view is a variant of #2 above. I disagree with #1—it’s just too cynical and amoral. I believe #3 is impractical. I suspect that the longer the war drags on the more Americans will believe #4.
