Donald Trump keeps promising that he can end the war in Ukraine in “24 hours.” We now have a better idea what that looks like, thanks to the leaked 28-point draft and the newer 20-point US–Ukraine talks: a “peace” built on Ukrainian concessions, Russian rewards — and no real red lines anywhere in sight.

Worse, the Ukraine draft exposes something deeper about Trump’s worldview: not only are borders negotiable, but so are his own threats. In the run-up to any grand bargain, Trump makes maximal, headline-grabbing threats of devastating sanctions, overwhelming force, or sweeping economic punishment. But once the cameras are rolling and the deal-making begins, those “bold” measures quietly vanish. The threats were never principles. They were just opening bids.

For Ukrainians and Israelis alike, that should be chilling.

The 28-point Ukraine plan, obtained by US media and confirmed by multiple officials, would require Kyiv to:

In exchange, Russia would see sanctions eased and be welcomed back into the Western economic fold, while a vague new “security architecture” is promised to deter any future Russian attack.

Reporting has since shown that key elements of this plan were drawn from a Russian-authored document handed to the Trump administration — a remarkable fact that should give any democracy pause.

The updated 20-point framework now under discussion walks back some of the most blatantly pro-Russian features. It allows the possibility of NATO membership and introduces ideas such as a special economic zone in the east and joint management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. But it still wrestles with Moscow’s demand for Ukrainian withdrawal from its own internationally recognized territory. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that any territorial concession would require a national referendum — in other words, consent from the very people whose homes are on the table. The Trump team, by contrast, appears far more focused on getting some document signed than on........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)