Europe's Delusional Counter-Proposal

Prof. Glenn Diesen & George Galloway

The Trump 28-point peace plan is criticised for favouring Russia, which is does because Russia is winning the war. What makes a peace deal reasonable? Should it reflect realities on the ground or what is fair? What is “fair” is subjective and European leaders conclude that the agreement must favour Ukraine as Russia is the “aggressor” and Ukraine is the “victim”, while NATO itself had no role in starting this war. Irrespective of the convictions of European leaders about what is fair, reality on the ground matters and moral posturing does not translate into political power.

European leaders presented a delusional counter-proposal that includes Ukraine being allowed to join NATO, security guarantees, no territorial concessions and Russia paying reparations. This is tantamount to Russia capitulating, and it would be the first time in history that the losing side (NATO/Ukraine) gets to dictate the terms of a peace agreement. Trump’s 28-point plan is indeed a terrible and humiliating deal for Ukraine, yet the deal will only get worse with every day that passes. Trump did not “betray” Ukraine - it was betrayed by the people who for years rejected every path to peace and insisted on fighting to the last Ukrainian.