Still Putin's Puppet

The cost to Ukraine of America's failed leadership

AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald promised that he was going to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on day one. Not day one of his administration, but day one of the transition by which he meant the day after the election. That would have been both impossible and illegal, but far too many people out there still believe anything Donald says.

Ten months into his failure of a presidency, Donald has finally offered up a peace proposal. It’s so disadvantageous to Ukraine that it may as well have been written by Putin. And it probably was.

The New York Times reports that the Trump regime presented Ukraine with a 28-point peace proposal designed to end Russia’s war of aggression against our democratic ally. The plan would force Ukraine to surrender vast amounts of land that Russia has stolen including the Donbas region, Crimea, and other occupied territories. The framework also requires Ukraine to cap the size of its military and give up long range weapons.

The Independent reports that Donald warned Ukraine to agree to these terms by Thursday, November 27^th or the United States will cut its access to United States weapons and intelligence. This is unacceptable, but if you consider Donald has been in Putin’s pocket since the 1980s, it also makes perfect sense. Being easily led and weak-kneed, Donald will not stand up to Putin. In fact, having been brought up by a patriarchal authoritarian sociopath, Donald was raised to admire and be subservient to authoritarians like Putin.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who perhaps should have read the agreement, posted the following on Twitter:

The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side, but it was also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.

Ukraine has been sidelined at every step of the way, and the European Union has been shut out entirely. While this so-called agreement illustrates not only Donald’s obsequiousness when it comes to Putin, but it also speaks to the chaos and ineptitude of the Trump regime and its leadership. People like Marco Rubio are in over their heads and that’s becoming increasingly obvious.

After receiving the offer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his country:

Right now, Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice. Either loss of dignity or risk of losing a key partner. Either difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter. The hardest and further risks life; without freedom, without dignity, without justice and that we should believe the one who has already attacked twice. They will expect an answer from us. Although in fact I already gave it on May 20th 2019 when taking the oath of allegiance to Ukraine, I said in particular, ‘I, Volodymyr Zelensky, elected by the will of the people as president of Ukraine, pledge with all my deeds to defend the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, to uphold the rights and freedoms of citizens, to observe the constitution and laws of Ukraine, to fulfill my duties in the interests of all compatriots, to raise the authority of Ukraine in the world.’ For me, this is not a protocol formality for a check mark. This is an oath. And every day, I remain faithful to every word of it.

Unlike Donald, Volodymyr Zelensky understands concepts like dignity and honor and loyalty to one’s oath. In the immediate aftermath of its release, the Trump regime’s proposal drew condemnation from within the United States, including from Republican senators.

GOP Senator Mark Rounds made the following comment:

This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form. … They want to utilize it as a starting point. … it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.

Senator Angus King, an Independent from Maine, said that the deal was, “...not the administration’s plan…” but was a “wish list of the Russians.”

Efforts to amend the agreement to make it acceptable to Ukraine and its European Union allies have had not gone very far. In the meantime, Ukraine is still under attack: Russia bombed Kyiv earlier today in an attack that killed at least seven people

European Union Foreign Policy expert and Prime Minister to Estonia, Kaja Kallas summed it up well when he said:

We all want this war to end, but how it ends matters. Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded … This is a very dangerous moment for all.

That’s right. How it ends matters greatly, and how it ends must reflect how it began--with an illegal invasion by Russia (ostensibly our adversary) of Ukraine (ostensibly our ally). What also needs to be factored into any peace plan is the fact that Ukraine is not just fighting for its own freedom and sovereignty; it is fighting for the future of western liberal democracy. We all are the beneficiaries of the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

Both sides should not have an equal say in the negotiations. Russia should get nothing. It should give back every square foot of territory it has stolen from the Ukrainian people. It should give back every resource it has stolen. It should have to pay them for all the damage it has cause. It must be forced to return all the Ukrainian children it has kidnapped. Tragically, it cannot restore the lives of those who have been murdered by Russia.