"Trump is giving Russia almost everything it wants with his Ukraine peace plan

The widely leaked draft of President Donald Trump's 28-point plan is a terrifying leap backwards for Kyiv. It was co-conceived by Russians who wanted to pretend they were engaging in peace, and circulated by Ukrainians and Europeans who felt it was so ridiculous it would surely die on first contact with oxygen.

Much of the text resembles the maximalist positions Russia held during talks in Istanbul in 2022 when its forces held more of Ukraine, and the slow, grinding military embarrassment of the past three years was still ahead of them.

Before we dissect the text - and its profound, dizzying advantages for the Kremlin - the timing of this renewed, mostly Moscow-initiated plan, is key."

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