The Trump administration is now reportedly threatening Ukraine to accept its 28-point peace plan, which is being widely panned both inside the U.S. and internationally.
Axios reported that a draft of the plan, according to sources, “would force Kyiv to give up additional territory in the east, cap the size of its military, and agree it will never join NATO.”
The U.S. is pushing Ukraine to accept the deal on an “aggressive timeline,” Axios noted, while Reuters reported that “The United States has threatened to cut intelligence sharing and weapons supplies for Ukraine to press it into agreeing to the framework of a U.S.-brokered peace deal.”
“The sources,” Reuters added, “speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Kyiv was under greater pressure from Washington than during any previous peace discussions, and that the U.S. wanted Ukraine to sign a framework of the deal by next Thursday.”
READ MORE: Trump State Department to Focus on God-Given Rights
Early Friday morning, Christopher Miller, The Financial Times’ chief correspondent in Kyiv, reported that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held “a call with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and UK’s Keir Starmer, the Ukrainian president’s office tells me.”
“They are working to develop counter points to the Trump peace proposal that senior Ukrainian and European officials have described as heavily pro-Russian and filled with demands that are red lines for Kyiv and Europe.”
In a video to the Ukrainian people, President Zelenskyy said, “Now the pressure on Ukraine is one of the most difficult. Now Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice – either loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner,” Miller reported.
Critics are blasting the proposed deal which was brokered without input from Ukraine.
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), warned: “We don’t have all the details yet, but it’s sounding more like a Russian plan for Ukraine. Negotiating without Ukraine is a lot like Munich 1938. It makes Ukraine weaker & vulnerable to future Russian attacks. It’s unacceptable & a surrender to Putin. We must have moral clarity.”
Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Estonian Parliament, warned: “If Russia receives amnesty for all the crimes it has committed against Ukraine, then the UN might as well be disbanded. What value does the UN Charter have after the greatest act of aggression in the UN’s history is simply forgiven?”
He added, “If Ukraine accepts this, there will be no Ukraine anymore. If Europe accepts this, we must prepare for a direct war with Russia.”
READ MORE: ‘Sundown’: Trump Shows ‘Shocking’ Noticeable Mental Decline Journalist Says
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned, “All the decisions concerning Poland will be taken by Poles. Nothing about us without us. When it comes to peace, all the negotiations should include Ukraine. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Responding to Tusk’s remark, CNN’s Jim Sciutto observed, “We’re seeing an immediate and very public rejection of the US Ukraine peace proposal by Ukraine and Europe.”
Professor of Political Science Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia declared, “This represents capitulation for Ukraine. Trump is not mediating an end to this horrific invasion. He is acting on behalf of the imperialist invaders. Shameful reversal.”
Jessica Riedl of the Manhattan Institute wrote: “So the U.S. proposes that Ukraine surrender to Russia. Why else to limit Ukraine‘s military (and ban NATO troops) than to leave it totally vulnerable to another Russian invasion? What, a cowardly, Neville Chamberlain embarrasment from the Trump admin.”
Fred Wellman, a graduate of West Point and the Harvard Kennedy School, and an Army veteran of 22 years who served four combat tours, blasted the proposed peace plan:
“This isn’t a ‘peace agreement’ it’s a mob shakedown.”
READ MORE: White House Spins Trump’s Arrest Demand as Simply Holding Dems ‘Accountable’
Image via Reuters