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By: Joshua S
Update: In a surprising turn of events, former President Donald Trump has decided to step back from the decision-making process, entrusting his advisers to navigate the current political landscape.
As of this morning, the GOP has pushed back on a deal they say overly favored Russian interests. The Hill reports: “The complaints from GOP senators — combined with blowback from Kyiv and across Europe — apparently spurred Trump to direct his negotiators to work more closely with Ukraine to get a balanced deal, after initially saying Ukraine had until Thanksgiving to agree to a 28-point plan that favored Russia.”
With Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) saying: “Putin is a pirate, he’s got Stalin’s taste for blood, that’s clear. The man’s got blood under his fingernails. He is not going to come to the table, in my opinion, until you make it more costly for him not to settle than it is to continue to prosecute the war,”
Russian response: Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow next week to meet with Putin, with his aide Yuri Ushakov saying — as reported by NBC News — that “We, the Russian side, have not yet discussed any documents with anyone specifically… We’ve agreed to a meeting with Mr. Witkoff. I hope he won’t be alone. Other representatives of the U.S. team working on the Ukrainian dossier will be there.”
Needless to say, with the Russians not getting documents or signing anything yet, the Ukrainians needing more guarantees, and President Trump stepping back, peace at this moment doesn’t look bright. But we will be keeping our eyes open for whatever developments may come.
Earlier:
Despite a sunny spin from the Trump administration about the peace deal, obstacles remain, with Zelensky wanting to meet with Trump and Trump writing this on his social media account. “I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this war is FINAL or in its final stages,”
CNN sources within the Ukrainian government say “there are still significant gaps between what the Trump administration is asking of Ukraine and what the embattled authorities in Kyiv are prepared to accept.”
Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported—through leaked audio—that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, a Trump ally, suggested Putin call Trump to congratulate him on a recent Gaza ceasefire and propose a similar 20-point Ukraine plan. In the leaked recording, Witkoff referenced potential concessions like Donetsk and a land swap, urging an optimistic tone to build momentum.
Here is Trump discussing that report and the peace plan.
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