Ukraine could be forced into an agreement but plan as it stands seems too bizarre for Zelenskyy to sell to his public
Ukraine could be forced into an agreement but plan as it stands seems too bizarre for Zelenskyy to sell to his public
We’ve been here before: the Trump administration announces a roadmap towards peace in Ukraine that seems to be dramatically skewed towards Moscow’s demands; Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets on the phone to alarmed European allies; they quickly call Trump to message him that the whole idea is unworkable; the plan quietly dies. Rinse and repeat.
This time it feels a bit different, however. Reports on Friday suggested the US has threatened that if Ukraine does not sign a hastily concocted peace plan, Washington could withdraw intelligence-sharing and other support critical to the Ukrainian war effort.
Zelenskyy addressed the nation, saying Ukraine was faced with a choice of “losing our dignity or the risk of losing our key partner”. He spoke of an extremely difficult week ahead, and of unbearable pressure being put on Kyiv.
The timing is particularly bad for Ukraine: the war’s fourth winter is shaping up to be its most difficult, as the country faces an acute power shortage after Russian attacks on infrastructure. Morale is flagging, people are exhausted and Zelenskyy’s inner circle is embroiled in a huge corruption scandal.
Trump, for his part, is in a hurry, reportedly keen to get a deal done before Thanksgiving next Thursday, and perhaps with one eye on the “Fifa peace prize”, apparently created solely as a gift to his ego, which he is expected to be given at the World Cup draw in Washington DC on 5 December.
