U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and and other members of the U.S. delegation, and Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and other members of the Ukrainian delegation sit before closed-door talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, November 23, 2025.

There are three parties involved in the “peace” negotiations currently underway in Geneva: The first is Donald Trump. Due to financial and political connections and also through his Eurasianist world view (For more on Eurasianism, see this article Trump for foreigners.) Trump is channeling Putin, but he is also pressured by the major wings of the US capitalist class, who do not want to surrender Ukraine to Russian imperialism.

Then there are the European powers, who don’t want to leave the door open to further Russian invasions into Europe,

Finally there are the Ukrainian people, who don’t want to be subjugated to the Putin dictatorship.

With that in mind, let’s consider the basics of what Trump has demanded:

• Ukraine formally recognize Crimea , Luhansk and Donetsk as parts of Russia.
• The main defensive position of Ukraine will be abandoned, opening the road for a future Russian drive towards Kyiv.
• Ukraine will reduce armed forces by about 50%.
• Ukraine will never join NATO.

All of this simply means that Russia’s territorial gains would be expanded and enshrined into law, and the door would be left wide open to a future further invasion once the Russian economy recovers somewhat.

Gaza Plan II
The plan derives from what Trump pushed through for Gaza, but there is a key difference: In Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian people were militarily defeated and there was no way to come back from that military defeat. Ukraine has not been defeated and despite some setbacks, they still field a powerful military force.

This plan is a demand for surrender, disguising it as a “peace plan”. It has been roundly denounced by Ukrainians. The Wall Street Journal reports “despite widespread weariness of war and desire for peace, Ukrainians overwhelmingly view this latest US-Russian proposal as a veiled capitulation.” They quote opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelznyak is saying “our society is not ready to surrender.” And Former Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, issued Zelinsky, a warning: “accepting an agreement that will be rejected by the society, will mean political, and unfortunately, in our reality also physical, suicide.”

Vermont state senator Tanya Vyhovsky visited Ukraine in August. She reports “I spoke to people who came from the front line to meet with me and talk to me. And what I heard from them is that if a deal is made where we are forced to accept occupation, there may be revolt within the armed forces, because that’s not what we’re fighting for.” According to reports that I am getting, the rank and file of the military, while very unhappy about their high command are enraged about this surrender plan, with one soldier reportedly saying that he, personally, would shoot Zelenskyy himself if he accepts this plan. (This is just a report on what people are saying. We do not advocate any such actions.)

Devastation of Ukraine carried out by Putin’s invasion. Ukrainians don’t want more of this.

In brief, Ukrainians are not ready to be turned over to the tender mercies of the Putin dictatorship. Nor is US capitalism ready to abandon its goals for the region. That is why the Wall St. Journal editors wrote,

“For three years the only peace on offer has been Ukraine surrender, and the latest American offer really, an ultimatum is merely another dressed up version…. Managed capitulation…. Mr. Trump will have handed Mr. Putin favorable terrain in the east that helps the Russians make a direct run for Kyiv when he’s re-armed and ready.”

Even some influential Republican senators condemned it. Mitch McConnell criticized it, and then Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina said McConnell‘s comments did not go far enough. “We should not do anything that makes Putin feel like he has a wind here. Honestly, I think what Mitch said was short of what should be said,” said Tillis.

The strong response from influential members of his own party caught Secretary of State,Marco Rubio unprepared. According to several senators, Rubio initially said that this was a Russian proposal not a US initiative. Probably after receiving a spanking by Trump, Rubio, then turned around and claimed “the peace proposal was authored by the US.”

European response
In Europe, the condemnation was even stronger

The Guardian newspaper reported “European officials have been scathing about the US draft and private conversations. They say it undermines Ukraine sovereignty and sets conditions for its EU succession. It would set a dangerous global precedent if accepted, they argue…. One official said Putin was trying to turn back the clock 30 years on Europe security architecture and enforced demands made shortly before his all out invasion.”

Germany, France and Britain proposed an alternative. The Washington Post reports that an unnamed US representative said that the European plan is “helpful”. This is a way to save face while beating a retreat. The Post further reports: “Oleksandr Bevs, an adviser to Yermak, wrote on Facebook that the 28-point plan of Trump/Putin “in the form in which everyone saw it, no longer exists,” Ukraine’s Interfax news agency reported. ‘Some points were removed, some were changed. Not a single remark from the Ukrainian side was left without a response.’

“The proposal refers to the U.S. giving Ukraine a security guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5 — a mutual defense clause that an attack on one is an attack on all. It also rebuffs a clause on the use of Russia’s frozen assets, which are mostly held in Europe, saying that Ukraine would be rebuilt “including through Russian sovereign assets that will remain frozen until Russia compensates damage to Ukraine.”

“Instead, the leaked initial plan floated by U.S. officials included recognizing “de facto” Russian control of specific regions of Ukraine, and it envisaged the U.S. getting a cut of profits of investments made in Ukraine with $100 billion in Russian sovereign assets, while returning the rest to Moscow.”

Trump is Putin’s ally, but he is also under other and conflicting pressures.

In sum: Putin’s ally Trump proposed terms of surrender. This was in part due to his Atlanticist world view, that Russia can have all of Europe and he will have all of the Atlantic. This is an updated version of what was known as Eurasianism. (See this article on Trump for foreigners for more on Eurasianism.) It is unacceptable, of course, to the rest of Europe, especially the three main powers – Germany, France and Britain. So they drafted up a different plan, which only gives Russia part of what it wants. Most critical from their point of view is that the door not be left wide open for Putin to annex all of Ukraine and continue on from there. It means only some concessions but not a full surrender. Even that may be unacceptable to the Ukrainian people, but who cares about them? In any case, it’s nearly certain that any proposal along the lines of what the Europeans are suggesting will be rejected by Putin. Megalomaniac that he his, he still nourishes hope for full victory, especially when he has a powerful ally – Donald Trump – on his side. Also, if Putin were to accept only a partial victory that would created further questioning of him within Russia itself. “What were we fighting for, why did we sacrifice so many soldiers and just for this?” they would ask.

In their editorial, the WSJ editors went to the heart of the matter but in veiled language. They wrote: “Mr. Trump can tarnish his legacy if he wants, but the bigger risk here is to the United States. A bad deal in Ukraine would broadcast to U.S. enemies that they can seize what they want with force or nuclear blackmail or by pressing on until America loses interest. The odds of a Pacific crisis will go up.” In other words, “we appreciate all that Trump has done to boost our profits and power, all that he has done to further confuse and divide our mortal enemy – the working class. That is his legacy. But here we part ways. He is harming the global interests of US capitalism.”

So Putin’s ongoing attempt to subjugate the Ukrainian people will continue. His ally, Trump, will continue to channel him, but Trump is also under pressure from the US capitalist class. And the Western European governments will continue to look out for their interests. The interests of the Ukrainian people happen to coincide with those of Western European and US capitalism, with Trump balancing between the demands of US capitalism and Putin.

The latest news is that the US is claiming that Ukraine has agreed to the “peace deal” with “only minor changes”. Zelensky has been more guarded in his assessment. Given that other reports say that the discussions have really been based on the European plan, the US report is probably a face-saving device.

Karl Marx: “Workers of the world, unite!”

World working class
As for the interests of the world working class: There is a reason why nearly every far right force in the West sides with Putin. That includes Nick Fuentes and America First, Nigel Farage and Reform UK, major elements of Germany’s far right AfD party and numerous others. If the Russian invasion of Ukraine succeeds, it will increase the influence of all these far right parties and groups. This will increase repression and further divide and weaken the working class internationally. This is why while workers organizations, and real socialists, should demand that Ukraine be supplied with all the weapons it needs and without restrictions. But that is not enough. We also need to build direct links between workers of Ukraine and their counterparts around the world. This would be a first step towards genuine international working class solidarity.

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