Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
Dear Commons Community,
Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, slammed Trump’s proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war as rewarding Russian President Vladimir Putin and as detrimental to U.S. interests. As reported by The Hill.
The 28-point plan, which was quietly hammered out between Washington and Moscow, to end the conflict in eastern Europe contains several nonstarters for Ukraine, including placing the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea under “de facto” Russian control and recognized by the U.S.
The proposal, which U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in Kyiv, would cut down the size of Ukraine’s army and forbid NATO troops from being stationed in Ukraine, preventing the prospects of having a European peacekeeping force.
“This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace. Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin,” Wicker said in a statement Friday. “The size and disposition of Ukraine’s armed forces is a sovereign choice for its government and people.”
“And any assurances provided to Putin should not reward his malign behavior or undermine the security of the United States or allies,” Wicker added. “In particular, any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism.”
The proposal would not warrant any major concessions from the Kremlin, aside from directing $100 billion in frozen Russian assets toward Ukraine’s reconstruction. The deal would lead to Russia’s full return to the global economy and all sanctions being erased.
“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play Trump for a fool. If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors,” McConnell said in a statement Friday.
“Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests,” added McConnell, who has criticized the president’s approach to brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. “And a capitulation like Biden’s abandonment of Afghanistan would be catastrophic to a legacy of peace through strength.”
Zelensky did not reject the proposal, but he emphasized on Friday that Ukraine faces a tough choice of preserving its sovereign rights or risking losing support from the U.S.
“Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner,” Zelensky said in a speech Friday, adding that he spoke with Driscoll and Vice President Vance that day about the proposal.
Trump signaled Friday that he is giving Kyiv until Thursday to agree to the proposed peace plan.
“Well, we have, you know, I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines,” Trump said during his interview with Fox News Radio. “But Thursday is, we think, an appropriate time.”
Later on Friday, during his meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D), the president indicated that Zelensky will eventually either have to accept a version of a peace proposal or continue fighting Russia.
“He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, they’ll just have to keep fighting, I guess,” the president told reporters. “At some point, he’s going to have to accept something.”
The proposal has received a frosty reception from Europe and other staunch Ukraine supporters, while Putin said he believes that it “could form the basis for a final peace settlement.”
Turmp’s peace plan is essentially an admission for Ukraine that it lost the war!
Tony
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