Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Trump Peace Deal for Ukraine is a Mess
Donald Trump is convinced that a Nobel Peace Prize awaits him if he can just end the war between Ukraine and Russia. Having claimed to have halted eight wars (the actual score is 0 because Gaza merely has a ceasefire, not peace), he feels this one will seal his place in history as a great man. It will not. At least, it will not if the continued incompetence from the White House does not cease. The world is on its second set of negotiating points in a week, and it seems that any deal that is made now will fail to get the support of Vladimir Putin. Even a competent administration might fail here, but this incompetent one is certain to do so.
Early last week, the US presented a 28-point plan to the world. It turns out it was a 28-point Russian wishlist. The president gave Ukraine until yesterday to accept or he would cease US help to the country. Ukraine immediately pushed back and brought in the Europeans. Now, there is an 18-point plan, an improvement in that Ukraine was actually consulted about it.
A couple of days ago, a leaked transcript of a call between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy advisor in the orbit of Vladimir Putin, revealed Mr. Witkoff coaching Mr. Ushakov on how to get the US president to sign onto the wishlist. The BBC reported it this way
"Just reiterate that you congratulate the president [Trump] on this achievement... that you respect that he is a man of peace and you're just, you're really glad to have seen it happen," Witkoff is quoted as saying. "I think from that it's going to be a really good call."
The Russians are pretending to be angry that the information leaked, but it gives them reason to blow up this round of negotiations, so it could be that the leak emanated from Moscow. The anger in Washington is quite real.
Don Bacon, a Republican representative, called for Steve Witkoff's immediate dismissal in a post on X. "For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians.
"He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.
This journal agrees largely because this journal never thought Mr. Witkoff should have had the job in the first place.
Yet Mr. Trump is defending his real estate buddy (Mr. Witkoff has no international diplomatic experience), "That's what a dealmaker does. You've got to say look, they want this, you've got to convince them of this. That's a very standard form of negotiation." He added that he imagined Witkoff "is saying the same thing to Ukraine." One imagines quite the opposite if Mr. Witkoff is even speaking to Kyiv.
Instead, the White House is going after the leaker. The president's special missions envoy, Richard Grenell, posted on social media, "Find the leaker and fire them immediately. No excuses. The anonymous leaker is a national security risk."
So, the US, Russia, Ukraine and the EU are all negotiating, but it appears the US is negotiating with Russia and the EU with Ukraine. That is helpful, but the deal has to ultimately be between Ukraine and Russia, and there is little hope of that with Mr. Witkoff putting his thumb on the scale, a leak, two different peace plans and a president who wants any deal rather than one that will work.
The decline under the Trump administration continues to accelerate.
© Copyright 2025 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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