The USA and Russia are discussing the possibility of imposing a peace on Kiev and the European Union:
A US-proposed peace plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict, reportedly developed with Moscow, requires concessions from Kiev and would amount to it giving up its sovereignty, sources have told Axios and the Financial Times. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the proposal.
The 28-point draft framework agreement was reportedly delivered to Kiev this week by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to people familiar with the matter, cited by various outlets. The sources said Witkoff has made clear that he wanted Vladimir Zelensky, who is meeting a senior US military team on Thursday, to accept the terms.
According to the Axios and the FT, the proposed plan would require Ukraine to relinquish the parts of the new Russian regions in Donbass still occupied by Kiev, cut the size of its armed forces by half and abandon key categories of weaponry. A rollback of US military assistance is also included in the framework.
On the plus side, the perspective on the Donbass appears to be realistic and the bellicose little yappy dogs are being kept out of the discussion. On the downside, I don’t see any reference to Odessa, and I am skeptical that Russia will settle for any surrender that doesn’t provide the Russians with control of that port city. Considering how things are proceeding, I don’t think I would settle for any less if I were commanding the Russian forces, given that another year of military action will probably suffice to give them control of it.