(A)Political - November 22nd

Good morning everyone,

We might have peace after all. Let’s get into it!

Trump puts peace on the table with proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine. Newsom faces fourth straight year of a budget shortfall. Trump aims for a cordial meeting with the mayor elect of NYC.

• U.S. Proposes Peace Plan For End To War In Ukraine

• Newsom Faces $18 Billion In Budget Shortfall Heading Into Next Year

• Trump Aims For ‘Quite Civil’ White House Meeting With NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani

U.S. Proposes Peace Plan For End To War In Ukraine

_{By: Atlas}

The United States has placed a new proposal on the table aimed at ending the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia, presenting Kyiv with a series of terms that would restructure the battlefield, redraw political commitments, and place the conflict on a path toward a negotiated settlement. The plan, which has been delivered to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in writing, has generated immediate scrutiny among Ukraine’s leadership and its European partners, who were not consulted before its release.

The proposal centers on a 28-point framework drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff with input from senior American officials. It seeks to halt Russian advances, establish long-term security arrangements, and reset the broader relationship between Moscow and the West. At the same time, Kyiv has been given a deadline to agree in principle to the framework. U.S. officials involved in the discussions described the deadline as “aggressive,” and several sources familiar with the talks said Washington wants Ukraine to sign the document by next week.

Zelensky has acknowledged the pressure and described the moment as one of the most difficult since the invasion began. He said the document represents an American “vision” rather than a final agreement, and that Ukraine would propose changes while continuing discussions with both Washington and European leaders.

A plan built around territorial concessions

The clearest point of contention in the draft is the territorial arrangement. The proposal would see Russia keep Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk under de facto control, as well as maintain the current line of contact in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine would withdraw its forces from the remaining areas of Donetsk it still holds, and that zone would become a demilitarized buffer internationally recognized as belonging to Russia.

In exchange, Russia would relinquish several small pockets of land it holds in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. For Ukraine, however, the core issue is not the size of the territory but the precedent — accepting a deal that formalizes Russia’s gains and permanently blocks Ukraine’s future path to NATO membership.

The draft requires Ukraine to enshrine in its constitution that it will never join the alliance, while NATO would add language permanently excluding Ukraine from future accession. The Ukrainian Armed Forces would be capped at 600,000 personnel, down from current levels of more than 800,000. Ukraine would also be barred from possessing missiles capable of striking Russian cities such as Moscow or St. Petersburg.

These provisions are broadly aligned with long-standing demands from the Kremlin. European diplomats reviewing the draft have described it as containing “pure Russian” elements, pointing particularly to the requirement that Ukraine reduce its army and surrender territory that Moscow has been unable to fully capture militarily.

Security arrangements and U.S. guarantees

The plan includes a series of security guarantees for Ukraine, though the details remain vague. The document states that if Russia invades Ukraine again, sanctions would be reinstated immediately and a coordinated military response would be triggered. In return for the guarantee, Ukraine would compensate the United States, though the mechanism is not spelled out.

At the same time, the U.S. and Russia would reengage on nuclear arms control by extending non-proliferation treaties. A joint American-Russian working group on security compliance would be created to oversee provisions of the deal, and both sides would commit to non-aggression toward Europe and Ukraine.

Under the proposal, NATO troops would be barred from Ukrainian territory, but European fighter jets would be stationed in Poland. Ukraine would be recognized as eligible for EU membership and given short-term preferential access to European markets while that process continues.

Economic provisions and reconstruction plans

A central feature of the framework is a multibillion-dollar reconstruction initiative. One hundred billion dollars of Russia’s frozen assets would be routed through U.S.-led projects in Ukraine, with Europe adding an additional $100 billion. The United States would receive half of the profits from these ventures. The remaining frozen Russian assets would be placed into a U.S.-Russian investment mechanism focused on long-term economic cooperation, including Arctic resource extraction, infrastructure development, energy work, and technology projects.

The plan also outlines a Ukraine Development Fund to spur growth in technology, artificial intelligence, mineral extraction, and energy infrastructure. The World Bank would be responsible for preparing a financing package to support these efforts. Moscow, for its part, would be gradually reintegrated into the global economy, with sanctions lifted in stages and an eventual return to the G8.

Kyiv’s response and international pushback

Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine will not betray its sovereignty or dignity, stressing that his government will propose alternatives to the most difficult provisions. He acknowledged that intense pressure is building and that the coming week will test Ukraine’s internal unity and its relationships with foreign partners. Ukrainian officials have also said they will not accept any agreement that violates the country’s core red lines on sovereignty or long-term security.

European leaders were caught off guard by the draft and have been working quickly to organize a response. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom held a joint call with Zelensky, affirming their support and emphasizing that any agreement must be consistent with Ukraine’s sovereignty. They also expressed concerns that accepting a deal perceived as capitulation could have consequences for European security as a whole.

The Kremlin has said little publicly, noting only that it has not received an official version of the plan. Russian officials said they remain open to negotiations and described the moment as “crucial,” encouraging Kyiv to make what they called a “responsible decision.”

A deadline that shapes the negotiations

The U.S. has made clear that the timeline is not open-ended. Several sources familiar with the discussions said the White House expects an answer by next Thursday, with some flexibility if both sides agree progress is being made. The message to Kyiv has been that U.S. intelligence sharing and military support may be affected if Ukraine chooses not to enter the framework.

Zelensky has said he will meet with President Trump in the coming days, and that Ukraine’s team will continue working through the document point by point. He has framed the decision as a turning point: ending the war under difficult terms or entering another winter of fighting with no certainty about future support.

As negotiations advance, the U.S. plan remains the only formal framework under active discussion. European leaders are preparing their own counterproposals, but for the moment, the path to any near-term end to the war runs through Washington’s draft — and through the deadline now looming over Kyiv.

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