Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan
Establishment Elites Need To Stop Pushing Continued War in Ukraine
The Trump administration 28-point peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine leaked to media, and similar to the Gaza peace plan, this is a seismic development which is meant to happen quickly. According to CBS News: “President Trump said he wants an answer from Zelenskyy on the plan by Thursday, which is Thanksgiving in the U.S., but says an extension is possible to finalize terms. On Saturday, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S peace plan is not his final offer for Ukraine.”
As expected, the establishment in the U.S. and Europe immediately slammed Trump’s efforts. According to The Guardian “European officials have been scathing about the U.S. draft in private conversations. They say it undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and sets conditions for its EU accession. At this point, it’s time for the Western progressive establishment to accept they have blown credibility, particularly with their own people, over assessments and predictions about the war. It’s time they get behind peace.
First, a great deal of diplomacy is being worked behind the scenes to bring peace in Ukraine, just as with the successful ceasefire in Gaza. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, he conferenced with the U.S. Vice President and U.S. Army Secretary and said “We agreed to work together with the U.S. and Europe at the level of national security advisors to make the path to peace truly doable. Ukraine has always respected and continues to respect U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to put an end to the bloodshed, and we view every realistic proposal positively.” The Ukrainian people are overwhelmingly for peace, with 69% desiring an end to the war now (24% want to continue), compared with 73% who wanted to fight until “victory” back in 2022.
When it comes to the establishment elites, they must gain better self-awareness in how they are viewed and why most of Europe disagrees with them. Just before the Russian invasion in February 2022, establishment General Mark Milley predicted Kyiv would fall to the Russians within 72 hours. Biden officials encouraged Zelensky to leave Ukraine, which Zelensky responded with “I need ammo, not a taxi.” In Feb-Mar 2022, the Russians attempted to encircle Kyiv to bring about a governmental collapse, but Ukrainians stood firm and forced a Russian withdrawal from Kyiv. Starting in late March 2022, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Istanbul to negotiate a ceasefire and potential end of hostilities, the Istanbul Communique. Unfortunately, that effort was scuttled by NATO elites as per Foreign Affairs: “So instead of embracing the Istanbul communiqué and the subsequent diplomatic process, the West ramped up military aid to Kyiv and increased the pressure on Russia, including through an ever-tightening sanctions regime. The United Kingdom took the lead with Johnson coming out with a hard line, saying on March 30 that, ‘we should continue to intensify sanctions with a rolling program until every single one of [Putin’s] troops is out of Ukraine,’ before he arrived in Kyiv on April 9.’ He told Zelenskiy any deal, ‘would be some victory for [Putin]: if you give him anything, he’ll just keep it, bank it, and then prepare for his next assault.”
Yes, elites reversed course from Ukraine falling in three days to ridiculous predictions of Russian defeat, while they pushed Ukraine to continue. In 2022, Lt. General (USA, ret.) Ben Hodges boldly asserted that with proper support Ukraine’s victory was “inevitable” “within months.” Biden administration elites similarly predicted Ukrainians would “defeat” Russia as they lobbied for tens of billions in American aid. LTG HR McMaster (U.S.Army, ret.) claimed in 2022 the Russian Army was then experiencing a “moral collapse.” LTG Hodges said in 2023 Ukraine could “seize Crimea” from Russia with “proper” support. Establishment elite predictions included that Putin would either die of cancer or be overthrown by his own generals. Then came some of the hyperbolic predictions of the Ukrainian “counteroffensive” of 2023 which faltered in relatively short order. By 2024 Russia was making continuous territorial gains in Eastern Ukraine which have not been mean reversed. Ukraine’s one drive into Russian territory at Kursk was cut off.
After Ukraine’s foray into Kursk, the tide turned on predictions. Foreign Policy Magazine, which had been with the misguided elite consensus previously, published Harvard Professor Stephen M. Walt’s more realistic assessment: “the United States and Europe should continue supporting Ukraine, but this support should be coupled to a serious and unsentimental effort to negotiate a cease-fire and eventual settlement. Unfortunately, U.S. officials seem to have forgotten how difficult it is to get allies to agree to a cease-fire, even when those states are dependent on U.S. backing and when a cease-fire is clearly in America’s interest.”
Trump ran for office promising he would bring peace in Ukraine and the American people gave him that mandate with the landslide election. Polls in Ukraine and America are unambiguous about the people wanting peace. Trump has proven his ability to pull off a surprise peace plan that works, even in situations as seemingly hopeless as Gaza. The establishment elites pushing continuation of the war have been consistently wrong about Ukraine and they are wrong fighting peace now. It’s time they get on board with what can work.
Colonel Bill Connor (U.S. Army, ret.) served for three decades as an Infantry officer, including service as the Senior U.S. Military Adviser to Afghan Forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. A Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Bill is a book author who has published numerous defense related articles nationally and internationally. He is now an attorney and law firm owner and the recipient of South Carolina’s highest award, the Order of the Palmetto.
This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.
