Trump Diplomacy: Movement On Ukraine Peace Deal As Tensions Rise With Venezuela
Ukraine has agreed to the outlines of a U.S.-brokered peace deal with Russia, with only “minor details” remaining, according to a U.S. official. Russia still needs to approve the framework for the three-and-a-half-year war to end.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also cautioned that “much work” still lies ahead, but wants to meet with President Trump as soon as possible — possibly over Thanksgiving — to finalize it.
Trump responded Tuesday, saying he would meet with Zelensky once the deal is “FINAL, or in its final stages” and confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet next with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.”
As Trump works to settle the war in Eastern Europe, he is also weighing whether to speak directly with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. designated the head of a terrorist organization on Monday after months of U.S. military buildup in the region. Let’s address details on both fronts.
THE UKRAINE DEAL
Trump’s original 28-point peace proposal, accused of being a Russian wish list, appears to have been cut down to about 19 points.
The revised plan reportedly removes several controversial provisions, including a demand that Ukraine surrender territory in the Donbas region that Russia hasn’t been able to seize on the battlefield.
Other contentious issues: The provision that says Ukraine cannot join NATO, and that its military be capped at 600,000 troops. Instead, the issue of territorial claims would be worked out between Zelensky and Trump at a later date.
How we got here: Ukraine and U.S. officials met in Geneva over the weekend to hash out the plan. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is now meeting with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi to advance the Trump administration’s proposal.
What could push Russia? Trump spoke with China’s Xi Jinping Monday to discuss, in part, Beijing’s influence over Moscow. Trump’s moves to push India and China away from Russian oil have so far failed to end the war.
On the ground, fighting continues. Russia launched a wave of drones and missiles at Kyiv early Tuesday, killing at least seven and injuring more than 20. A Ukrainian strike in southern Russia killed three people, officials said.
Strikes inside Ukraine have intensified in recent months ⬇️
VENEZUELA: GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing its next move as it continues to build up a historic military presence in the waters near Venezuela. U.S. officials tell Axios a call between Trump and Venezuela’s Maduro could happen. Maduro is responding to the threat of war, and his recent terrorist designation, with…dance?
The lyrics of the song, “Peace, yes. War, no,” were taken from a recent Maduro speech criticizing the U.S. military buildup.
The official terrorist designation — related to accusations Maduro is running a narco-terrorist cartel — will make it easier for the U.S. to impose new sanctions against Maduro, his assets and his infrastructure.
The Department of Defense has also carried out at least 21 strikes on boats that the Trump administration has tied to drug trafficking in Venezuela and Colombia since September, which have killed over 80 people.
Meanwhile, the U.S. public remains confused about the scale of the military buildup.
