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Wes O'Donnell's avatar

Zelenskyy just responded. “The pressure on Ukraine is now at its most intense. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner, or 28 difficult points, or an extremely harsh winter,” Zelensky said in his daily video address.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/europe/ukraine-war-trump-plan-zelensky-intl?cid=ios_app

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Robert W Moses's avatar

With the coming collapse of this latest severely misguided "peace plan" under heavy European criticism, I expect Trump to flip flop again and send Ukraine weapons and ammunition. With European backing, Ukraine can continue to defend itself and hammer Russia's economy and infrastructure pushing them closer to collapse. The obvious fact remains that Europe knows this is existential for them too. They must fight Putin in Ukraine now or fight him later on their own borders. If Putin is deranged enough to start WWIII, Russia will end up as glowing piles of rubble. His admirer, the orange Mussolini, is headed to defeat as well. Dictators always face defeat sooner or later. Putin\Russia MUST be defeated! Not appeased!

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Abhcán's avatar

The Ukrainians don't seem foolish enough to sign off on this surrender agreement.

But the American government can certainly make life worse for Ukrainians.

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Robot Bender's avatar

"Peace in our time." Neville Chamberlain

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Federico's avatar

Why should European nations agree? This plan implies that the USA is no longer an ally.

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Eugene Porter's avatar

They should not agree.

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Sugarpine Press's avatar

Clear-eyed as ever, Wes. Of particular alarm: "Beijing would watch all of this with great interest."

This buffoon, in search of another imagined peace-notch in his belt, unconsciously gambles the future of so many in search of a Swedish trophy he'll never recieve.

I'd be interested in your views on the time-compression his tenure presents for the world's autocrats. If Americans' growing buyer's-remorse increases, and the clock begins ticking down to a change of values and strategy in Washington, what pressure might these actors feel to reach for things traditionally beyond their grasp in the next three years?

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Richard Bedingfield's avatar

We are still waiting for the named guarantors to enforce what they previously had agreed to do and triggered in 2014. It is not the slightest use to Ukraine.

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Jack Carter's avatar

I mentioned a long time ago that von trump will somehow start WW3. He IS fucking putin’s asset. He is ZE traitor to America. Time for voters to wake up, although I am quite sure you can kiss bye bye to more elections. So sad. Thank you and good luck

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Lee's avatar

I watched the Ukraine rep to the UN tell the assembly that the proposed American plan can go pound sand.

Here is how its going to go for you Yanks - your govt is going to drop the fucking ball, shit is going to happen in Europe and "we" (the rest of NATO) are going to be in a hot war. Then you fucking Yanks will play with your isolationalist dicks for 18 months to two years while your industrialists hoover up military supply contracts and after everyone has been bled half white, you'll stir your asses, show up late at the party blowing your fucking horns, lend a hand to mop up on what pathetic Russian remnants remain and then we get to watch your internal media propaganda machine bullshit us that you won the war for everybody for the next 50 years.

Anyone ever tell you that you are some of the most clued out feckless fucks on the planet?

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HoldingTheLine(HTL)'s avatar

Yep. Deja vu all over again.

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ABossy's avatar

OMG Lee, you got it. 100%. Yet americans still think the world respects them.

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billy mccarthy's avatar

the taco guy should be told to stick it up his ass

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Brian's avatar

Excellent recap of the state Trump leaves us in. I am amazed that the news treats this the same as the price of eggs debate. This deal would do no less than end the U.S. empire and usher in a world arms race unseen in history as the U. S. abdicates its seat as world leader. You so captured the Trump ethos as merely an accounting calculus. Trump’s long term vision doesn’t reach beyond lunch.

Thank you for your unambiguous and clear-headed insights, Wes. We need to all band together and end this madness ( legally) Putin is dangerous to America and the world and more so with Trump as his most prized asset.

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MICHAEL'S CURIOUS WORLD's avatar

There are only 2 security guarantees that would really count:

1. Make Ukraine so powerful Putin is afraid of it.

2. Bring Ukraine into NATO for joint defence.

Witkoff's plan is just weak appeasement.

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Roger Corbett's avatar

At first I thought that this 28 point plan had to have been drafted by the Kremlin, and just released by the White House as theirs. But now it seems that the whole document is actually Russia's complete original demands with a Trump/Witkoff real estate deal built in.

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Jerry Spiegler's avatar

I'm not a scholar of international relations. However, even I know that neither Putin nor Trump can be trusted. I can't see restating "peace" terms that have already been rejected as progress of any sort. I'm hoping that Zelenskyy and the other NATO members stand strong. Trump is a pedophile rapist in declining health and perhaps with advancing dementia. He should be steadfastly ignored until he is either replaced or drops dead.

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Abhcán's avatar

I'll take that as a "yes".

If you're determined to only listen to Russian sources, you should at least look up more than the tidy Kremlin narratives. The milbloggers for instance get covered here.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theeasternborder/p/20-trump-doesnt-want-you-to-know

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Mike's avatar

WTF?

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Joachim Sammer's avatar

Trump never understood. This was all wishful thinking by some pundits.

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Roland Davis's avatar

One of your best articles, Wes.

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