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Russia, Ukraine and the difference between wanting peace, and needing peace.

Ian Proud, The Peacemonger, Nov 21, 2025

I go through Trump’s 28 point plan line by line and talk about the need for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to start

Ukrainian media has now published what it says is the draft Trump 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. I decided to go through it line by line and offer my thoughts on the prospects for negotitions going forward.

What is clear, first, is that the draft is merely a starting point for negotiations. Ukraine absolutely needs to be engaged bilaterally with Russia in the hard work of the negotiation process, and that depends on Zelensky finally committing to it.

I feel he is in a weaker position to resist US efforts now he is mired in a corruption scandal at home. But I still feel European leaders wants to keep him stuck in the permanent loop, in which Ukraine needs peace but doesn’t want it, whereas for Russia, there is a desire for peace but no urgent need to settle.

I consider the draft document to be a helpful first start but will need a lot of work from both sides. Some of the clauses are specific to Russia and Ukraine, whereas some reach more widely into the international community, which makes for a confusion mish mash. Some conditions, military neutrality for Ukraine in political, will see off Zelensky’s hopes of reelection as President, after the war, in my view, which he will know and understand all too well.

But it is now time to negotiate an end to this bloody war. I hope you find my insights helpful, and feel free to ask me any questions on the issues I cover in this video. https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/p/russia-wants-peace-but-doesnt-need?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3221990&post_id=179541181&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1ise1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

November 25, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, weapons and war