Susan Glasser

Well, I think we can say we actually do know what Ukraine and Europe will think of it.

And the answer is they don't think much of it.

It's not funny.

In fact, you know, Russia's attacks this week have been particularly pernicious, aimed at the civilian population, including in Western Ukraine, civilians sleeping in their beds, going about their business.

This proposal seems to be not that dissimilar, literally from Russia's 2022 proposal.

quote unquote, peace proposal, which was essentially a series of unilateral demands.

I mean, by itemizing the peace plan and making it 28 points, it doesn't make it any more of a viable peace plan.

What it does appear is essentially that the United States, at least one faction of the United States government, Stephen Witkoff, is willing to act as an agent for conveying Russian demands and conditions for the end of the war to Ukraine.

I don't see this right now

as being a serious or viable proposal for Ukraine, because any leader of Ukraine, including Vladimir Zelensky, but any other elected leader of Ukraine would no longer be able to be the leader of Ukraine if they agreed to these conditions, which essentially would compromise the sovereignty and the future independence of the country.

Yeah.

I mean, look, what's fascinating here also, Tim, is that Witkoff is essentially negotiating against Donald Trump's own previously stated positions.

This wouldn't be the first time that's happening.

But you mentioned that one of the conditions is no foreign forces on the ground in Ukraine.

Well, what that really means is that they're

It's saying no to the possibility of a European stabilization force, which is the thing that Trump indicated interest in earlier so that American troops wouldn't be on the ground to secure the future peace.

And it's, you know, just one of many examples.

The other thing is it talks about a ceasefire, whereas actually when Donald Trump had his summit meeting, quote unquote, with Vladimir Putin, you recall him rolling out the literal red carpet for Putin on an American airbase in Moscow.

Alaska in August, the major kind of pivot there was Trump going from demanding an immediate ceasefire to saying, no, no, we're just going to have a long-term peace deal.

So now we're back to maybe we're talking about a ceasefire again.