Trump Launches Aggressive Push To End Russia-Ukraine War — And Seems To Favor 1 Side

Desperate to tout a win on the international stage as his poll numbers fall at home, President Donald Trump has mounted an aggressive campaign to finally realise one of his 2024 campaign goals: ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine — albeit not in 24 hours, as he initially pledged.Despite projecting optimism that he can push the long-awaited agreement over the finish line, some of the most sensitive questions remain unresolved as his administration continues to send mixed signals about its intentions.The Trump administration unveiled a 28-point peace plan last week to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump set a Thanksgiving deadline for Ukraine to respond, alarming traditional U.S. allies in Europe, including Kyiv itself.The proposal was reportedly drafted by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, during meetings in Miami, according to Axios.The result predictably favours Russia, the aggressor that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prompting fresh concern that the Trump administration is prepared to throw Ukraine under the bus. Since then, Kyiv has held talks with US officials seeking to win concessions on some of the most contentious aspects of the proposal.Trump said on Tuesday that the peace plan “has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.”A senior Ukrainian source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told CNN that three major sticking points remain.Those three issues concern the control of territories in Eastern Ukraine that Russia has yet to conquer, the potential reduction of the size of Ukraine’s military, and whether the war-torn country will agree to permanently give up on joining the NATO military alliance, according to CNN.Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday it’s “premature” to comment on whether an end to the war is near.Against a backdrop of uncertainty over whether a deal is even possible, it’s unclear whether Trump is willing to pressure Russia into making any significant compromises.“Well, they’re making concessions,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One Tuesday. “Their big concession is they stop fighting, and they don’t take any more land.”He also seemingly rebuffed an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to the U.S. to meet with him, saying a visit should take place only after a deal is agreed upon.Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Witkoff gave tips to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, on how to discuss a potential peace plan with Trump during an Oct. 14 call. (Trump defended Witkoff’s approach.)United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff looks on during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C.The latest diplomatic push comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with the fallout of a major corruption scandal at home that has engulfed members of his inner circle.Doug Klain, the deputy director for policy and strategy at the pro-Ukraine advocacy group Razom, said he believes it’s likely not a coincidence that this latest diplomatic effort is picking up steam while Zelenskyy is weathering a domestic crisis.“From the outside view, Zelenskyy may have appeared quite weak and under pressure from within Ukraine, and I think that to some in the White House and in the Kremlin, it seemed like the opportune time to employ another maximum pressure campaign to try to force Ukraine to accept an unfavorable deal,” Klain told HuffPost.Klain added that while Ukrainians are demanding accountability from their government, “I think we’ve seen in the last week that Ukrainians are able to recognize when there is a greater external threat.” “Ukrainians really did seem to unite and try to present a common front against this external pressure,” Klain said. “So it’s a real misreading of Ukrainian politics by the White House and the Kremlin here.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to his national anthem as he arrives at the Villacoublay Air Base near Paris on Nov. 17, 2025.European leaders, who are also closely monitoring the negotiations, have stayed the course, pushing back against the 28-point plan while doing their best to keep Trump engaged, as his support remains crucial for Ukraine’s war effort.“Europe can do a lot, and it could do more, and it can spend more money, and it can build more things,” Richard Fontaine, chief executive of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, told The New York Times. “But it cannot replace the United States as a security and intelligence partner.”Klain told HuffPost that another major part of the equation will be how Congress acts and whether it chooses to “reassert its authority in foreign affairs, something that it’s largely abdicated to President Trump.”Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he considered resigning from Congress over the original peace proposal, telling Axios it made him “so angry.” Bacon signed a discharge petition circulated by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) Friday to force a vote to impose new sanctions on Russia.Bacon also had harsh words for Witkoff, one of Trump’s chief negotiators, following the publication of his call with Ushakov.“For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” Bacon wrote on X Tuesday. “He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he?”

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