Having covered Ukraine \u2026 and Russia \u2026 for over three decades, especially the war between the two countries for the last several years, I\u2019ve naturally been fascinated by the latest Trump administration effort to broker peace.<\/p>\n
The reaction I\u2019ve been getting from contacts in Ukraine to the 28-point plan to end the war is not all that positive. <\/p>\n
‘It\u2019s not worth the paper it\u2019s written on,’ said one observer.<\/p>\n
‘Any deal would have to include Ukraine\u2026and Europe,’ noted another. <\/p>\n
The overall consensus of analysts is that the document is slanted heavily towards Moscow. The man at the center of things, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has been diplomatic in various statements, basically saying he\u2019s ‘reviewing the points’ aiming at arriving at a ‘dignified peace.’<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There are all sorts of talks happening now between the U.S. and Ukraine and among European leaders. We\u2019re even hearing from Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s no wonder: The stakes in this war for Europe and the world are enormous. If I were to send a quick note to Zelenskyy, it would go something like this: <\/p>\n
Dear Volodymyr, <\/p>\n
So far so good. You haven\u2019t freaked out, and you\u2019re promising to engage. Rejection of this plan out of hand would have been a non-starter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019re staying cool (though a bit grim and determined), and you\u2019re talking to people. <\/p>\n
My overall advice is … pick your fights, don\u2019t sweat the small stuff, and keep the big picture in mind. <\/p>\n
I know what your country is going through. Every time I\u2019m in Kyiv, I go to the same military cemetery outside the city, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and sadder.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
So, as to the points of the plan: There are a lot easy ‘gimmes’ to Russia. Re-joining the G-8. Gradual dropping of sanctions. Granting of amnesty for everything Russian troops have done. I know this stuff is going to stick in your craw, but little of it affects your country\u2019s future. <\/p>\n
I mentioned that you shouldn’t ‘sweat the small stuff.’ Some of the points might sound like a big deal. Like prohibiting ‘Nazi ideology’ in Ukraine. And adopting ‘EU rules on religious tolerance and linguistic minorities.’ That\u2019s pretty much window-dressing for Moscow. Having the Russian language and Russian church regain official status is not horrendous. <\/p>\n
In fact, the plan\u2019s glass is at least one-third full for you guys. Confirming your sovereignty. Russia expected not to invade you again. You will receive reliable security guarantees. Rebuilding pledges and humanitarian promises. They are all good. Just nail down the specifics. Get all sides to commit for sure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Now to three of the points which cross, according to analysts, your red line. <\/p>\n
Like handing over the rest of the eastern Donetsk region to Russia even though Moscow\u2019s troops haven\u2019t even taken it. The region is referred to as a demilitarized zone in the plan. A ‘DMZ’ ala the divider between North and South Korea. Well, hold them to that. No troops from either side. Tough security on both sides. A neutral body running things. And see if you can get them to not call it Russian!<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the reduction by a third of your military. Troop strength limited to 600,000. That\u2019s a huge cut, but it\u2019s still not a bad-sized force. That is if\u2026it was properly trained, well-armed, and finely-positioned. Guarantees are needed for all of this to happen.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s the other red line : No NATO troops in Ukraine. That would seem to scupper the plan to have foreign peace-keepers on the ground, which has been in the works, to monitor the peace. A possible compromise? They\u2019re stationed around Ukraine\u2019s borders, surveillance keeps a close eye on things and rapid-response forces are at the ready. <\/p>\n
There are also a few ‘gimmes’ for the U.S. in all this, like sharing in the profits of reconstruction. But that\u2019s the price of doing business with President Trump. <\/p>\n
As for that Thanksgiving deadline to sign the deal? The president has already signaled he\u2019s willing to let that slide if there\u2019s talking. <\/p>\n
And that other deadline? One-hundred days until a new election? I know it\u2019s a tough time for you politically with those corruption charges getting near. It might be something you have to live with. <\/p>\n
Anyway, for what it\u2019s worth, that\u2019s my take. <\/p>\n
Negotiations will probably sink on any hard discussion of any of these main points. But you know what the old adage is : ‘jaw-jaw’ is better than ‘war-war.’ <\/p>\n
For the proud people of Ukraine, who have suffered so much during this time, it\u2019s worth your best shot.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Greg<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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