Ukraine

The Signal - On Wednesday, the U.S. administration delivered a 28-point peace plan to Ukraine with a message and a deadline. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had until Thanksgiving—six days—to accept terms that would cede Ukrainian territory to Russia, limit the size of Ukraine’s military, and bar the country from NATO membership. If he refused, Ukraine risked losing American support. “You’re going to have to like it,” President Donald Trump told reporters when asked about Zelenskyy’s response.

The plan itself reads like a diplomatic artifact from another era. The United States would recognize Russia’s control of Crimea and the Donbas “de facto.” Ukraine would withdraw from parts of Donetsk it still holds, creating a demilitarized buffer zone. A “Peace Council” chaired by Trump would monitor compliance. The United States drafted the entire framework exclusively with Russian input. No one consulted European allies.

Watch what happened to produce this moment. Trump began his second presidency in January by threatening Russia with “further sanctions and high tariffs” if President Vladimir Putin refused to negotiate. By May, he was publicly accusing Putin of spreading “bullshit.” In July, he announced a major deal to send Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine and threatened Russia with new sanctions. In August, he hosted Putin in Alaska—without inviting Zelenskyy—and discussed territorial concessions. In October, he declared that Ukraine “can win all of Ukraine back in its original form.” Now, Ukraine gets the ultimatum.  Read on