The uproar surrounding America's "peace plan" to end the war in Ukraine has once again shaken the political stage today. According to journalistic reports, reports of Washington and Moscow discussing the fate of Ukraine in secret negotiations intensified after Zelenskyy's planned meeting with Steve Whitkoff in Ankara was unexpectedly canceled.
Axios noted that the main topic of the dialogue should have been the concept of peace, prepared by Donald Trump. However, Zelenskyy came to Turkey with a completely different approach - the Kyiv position, developed jointly with Europe.
Hidden document and the two persons behind it
Then NBC News released another explosive report: the White House allegedly approved a "peace formula" consisting of 28 points, which was prepared by Trump administration officials under the leadership of Steve Whitkoff, in consultation with Russian official Kirill Dmitriev.
The content of the document is practically unacceptable for Ukraine:
• Full transfer of Donbas to Russia
• Reduction of the Ukrainian army by half
• Give up a range of weapons
• Official granting of state status to the Russian language
According to a Financial Times source, the plan has been communicated to Kyiv, and Ukraine's position is clear: such conditions are unacceptable.
Zelenskyy: "Peace exists only in agreement with partners"
On November 18, after a debate with Erdoğan, Zelenskyy made a firm statement on network X. According to him, any format leading to peace must be coordinated with partners, long-term, and ensure genuine security.
Following this, a US military delegation led by Dan Driscoll arrived in Kyiv. Ukrainian media speculated that the delegation might try to persuade Zelenskyy to follow the plan approved by Trump. However, after the meeting, the Zelenskyy administration stated that there was no surrender and agreed to work on the clauses to "worthily end the war."
Concern in Kyiv: "This is a plan for capitulation"
Leading Ukrainian politicians consider the content of the document to be a repetition of Russia's previously stated demands.
PASE deputy Alexey Goncharenko told DW:
"Russia wants to reduce the size of the Ukrainian army - this means opening the way for a further offensive."
He believes that the energy corruption scandal has weakened Zelenskyy's position, but any agreement can be approved not only by the president but by the entire Ukrainian society.
The real goal behind the "peace plan" is to test Ukrainian society
Arseniy Yatsenyuk called the document a "scenario of Ukraine's gradual surrender." He emphasized that the points currently under discussion are the same as those mentioned during the Putin-Trump dialogue in Alaska in August.
Irina Gerashchenko emphasized that publishing this plan in the media is a psychological test aimed at checking the level of fatigue and readiness of Ukrainian society.
Experts: "This is not yet negotiation - it's about negotiation"
According to political scientist Alexander Krayev, the US is not ready to exert pressure on Ukraine now, as such a step would be a blow to relations with Europe. In his opinion, the main flaw in this document is that it does not lead to the ceasefire previously announced by Trump.
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the USA Valeriy Chaliy also assessed the document as "the Whitkoff-Dmitriev project, an unrealizable option." According to him, this is the first signal to mark the boundaries of future real negotiations.
Russia's info-attack intensified
According to expert Valeriy Pekar, the dissemination of such "peace plans" is part of Russia's strategy to weaken Ukrainian society under information and psychological pressure.
"If society had believed that it would not sign conditions that the government would never accept, it would not have been so worried," says Pekar.
Conclusion: The main question is - where and with whom will the negotiations take place?
Without the participation of Europe, no plan works. Ukraine's defeat will bring Trump a political minus, not a plus. There is still strong support for Ukraine in American society.
Therefore, the current stage is not a real negotiation, but a process of testing the platform for negotiations.
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