❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ukraine is being pressured to sign a peace deal or risk losing U.S. intelligence sharing and weapons support.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, President Donald J. Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The plan was presented recently, with a deadline set for Thanksgiving.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I have a good relationship with President Putin, but I’m a little disappointed in President Putin right now. He knows that.” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: Ukraine faces tough decisions regarding territorial concessions, NATO membership, and military reductions, while Russia has shown cautious interest in the proposal.
Ukraine is facing intense pressure from the Trump administration to accept a sweeping peace proposal by Thanksgiving, with the threat of losing U.S. intelligence sharing and weapons support if it refuses. The plan, presented by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to President Volodymyr Zelensky, would require Ukraine to cede control of the eastern Donbas region and freeze the current front lines in two southern regions, with Russia withdrawing from its more northerly footholds in Ukrainian territory.
Under the proposal, Ukraine would be barred from joining NATO, must limit its armed forces to 600,000 troops, and disband any international brigades. NATO troops would not be allowed on Ukrainian soil, and Kiev would be required to return long-range missiles capable of hitting Moscow, although it would receive some Western security guarantees. Russia would be readmitted to the G8, reversing its exclusion since the annexation of Crimea, but would be required to legislate a non-aggression policy towards Ukraine and the European Union (EU), with some of its frozen assets in the West surrendered.
While the former Biden government had suggested a possible pathway for Ukraine’s NATO membership, Russian President Vladimir Putin firmly opposes that idea. Moscow has expressed some interest in the plan, though a Kremlin spokesman said there is “nothing new in addition to what was discussed in Anchorage.”
President Trump has criticized both sides of the conflict. “I have a good relationship with President Putin, but I’m a little disappointed in President Putin right now. He knows that,” Trump remarked.
At the same time, Ukraine is grappling with a major corruption scandal. Its anti-corruption bureau launched a 15-month investigation into a $100 million kickback scheme involving Energoatom, the state nuclear company. Officials allege that contractors paid bribes of 10 to 15 percent to secure contracts, and recordings from over 1,000 hours of surveillance have implicated a network of high-level figures, including Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky. Mindich reportedly fled to Israel just before law enforcement raids, with widespread suspicion that he was tipped off. Two government ministers have resigned in connection with the scandal.
In parallel, the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment to a peace process.” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move aims to cut off key revenue for Russia’s war machine and called for an “immediate ceasefire.” These sanctions bar the firms from U.S. banking systems, putting pressure on Moscow’s ability to finance its military operations.
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