President Donald Trump has given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a harsh ultimatum to take a peace deal or risk losing U.S. support for the continued war with Russia, the UK Daily Mail reported.
The Ukrainian president has been given until Thanksgiving Day to make up his mind.
Many of the 28 points in the proposal cut against Ukraine, but the war has been going on for nearly four years without an end in sight. Some of the concessions include cuts to the size of its military and giving up on land that Ukraine has sacrificed lives and years defending.
It would also indemnify the U.S. for the outlay of cash, both through a multi-billion-dollar return from the Ukrainian military and a rare-earth minerals deal with Russia. For his part, Zelensky characterized this deal as a shakedown from the U.S. "Today is one of the most difficult moments in our history," Zelensky lamented.
'The pressure on Ukraine is now at its most intense. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a major security partner – 28 points or an extremely harsh winter," the Ukrainian president added.
It seems Zelensky has finally reached the end of the road after receiving money and material support from the U.S. for years. "'Ukraine's national interest must be taken into account," he said about what he'll do after the plan is unveiled.
"We're not making loud statements; we'll be calmly working with America and all the partners. We'll have a constructive search for solutions with our main partner [the US]," Zelensky added.
However, it seems his time is up as the world and American taxpayers grow weary of funding this endless war that appears to have no clear objective for peace anymore. Russia has more manpower and resources, and it seems that Russian President Vladimir Putin also has the will to keep fighting.
Still, Putin said the new plan could "form the basis of a final peace settlement" between the two nations. He added that Ukraine was only "dreaming" that it had what it takes to overcome the Russian military, and although an inconvenient fact, it's a true one as years of fighting and injection of foreign aid to Ukraine have shown.
Even though Zelensky is reluctant to give up, it's clear he knows it's time. "I will present arguments, I will persuade, I will offer alternatives, but we will definitely not give the enemy any reason to say that Ukraine does not want peace, that it is disrupting the process, and that Ukraine is not ready for diplomacy," Zelensky said.
Trump has rightly recognized that Zelensky has little choice in the matter. "They’re losing land. They’re losing land," Trump told Brian Kilmeade during Friday's broadcast of the Fox News The Brian Kilmeade Show.
"We in it for one thing. We want the killing to — you know, they lost 25,000 people last month between the two countries, 25,000 people," Trump said.
"It’s out of control. It’s a bloodbath," he added. The way Trump and the rest of the world see it, Zelensky doesn't have much of a choice after so much was wasted to get nowhere.
It's about time to end the war in Ukraine, whether or not Zelensky and leftists in Washington, D.C. are happy about the terms. Once the war between Russia and Ukraine is ended, the world will be better off, and the U.S. will be richer and safer for it.
