Just over a year ago, Donald Trump vowed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. Now, his proposed solution looks less like a peace plan and more like a territorial giveaway.
On Wednesday, President Trump and his administration made an aggressive push for a controversial U.S.-backed peace proposal that would force Ukraine to give up all the territory currently controlled by Russia — including Crimea — in exchange for vague promises of security. The deal would also bar Ukraine from ever joining NATO.
President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t mince words.
“There is nothing to talk about,” he said. “This violates our Constitution. This is our territory.”
But Trump fired back on social media, calling Zelensky “inflammatory” and blaming him for prolonging the war. He even claimed the Kremlin was ready to sign the deal, adding, “I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far it’s harder.”
Vice President JD Vance echoed the administration’s ultimatum while visiting India. He warned that the U.S. would “walk away” from the peace process entirely if Ukraine and Russia didn’t accept the terms. His message: stop fighting, freeze the current front lines, and “get on with building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.”
That framing didn’t sit well with Kyiv — or with many of America’s allies in Europe. The deal, if accepted, would essentially force Ukraine to hand over roughly 20% of its land and abandon its ambitions to ever join NATO — something Russia has fought bitterly to prevent.
It would also represent a major reversal in U.S. policy. Just three years ago, Marco Rubio — now Trump’s secretary of state — co-sponsored legislation to ban the U.S. from recognizing any Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory as legitimate. Now, he’s one of the deal’s leading champions.
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Critics say the proposal rewards aggression and signals a dangerous precedent — essentially letting a nuclear-armed autocrat redraw borders by force. European officials are also worried the Trump administration is cutting Ukraine out of key decisions and cozying up to Moscow. One official called it a “switching of sides.”
Even more troubling, Trump has reportedly ordered the dismantling of units in the State and Justice Departments that were investigating Russian war crimes, including the 2022 atrocities in Bucha. The administration has also scaled back weapons shipments to Ukraine, though some intelligence sharing has resumed.
Zelensky, for his part, remains defiant.
“Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to surrender,” said Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s economy minister. “There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence.”
At a peace conference in London this week, Ukraine’s defense and foreign ministers showed up. Trump’s secretary of state did not.
Meanwhile, Trump’s top Russia negotiator is reportedly heading to Moscow this week — another sign, many fear, that Washington is now prioritizing talks with the Kremlin over consultations with Kyiv.
Trump, once celebrated for hosting Zelensky in Congress as a symbol of freedom, now warns he may abandon the Ukrainian president altogether.
“He can have peace, or he can fight for another three years before losing the country,” Trump posted online.
Zelensky, and much of the world, appears ready to call that bluff.
