Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan: West Bank Model Criticized

European and Ukrainian Stance on Negotiations

• 🇺🇦 President Zelenskyy of Ukraine hopes a ceasefire will be a central theme of the upcoming Alaska summit, but he believes Putin is bluffing about not caring about sanctions.
• 🇪🇺 German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz emphasizes that Ukraine must be involved in any negotiations and that European interests should be considered.
• 🇺🇦 Zelenskyy insists a ceasefire must precede formal negotiations, and there is no question of Ukraine surrendering the Donbas.
• 🇪🇺 European leaders are providing support for Zelenskyy and signaling to President Trump that they will play a part but will not agree to decisions made over Ukraine and Europe's heads.

US-Russia Discussions on Ukraine's Future

• 🇺🇸 The US and Russia have discussed a West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine as a potential model to end the war.
• 🇷🇺 Under this scenario, Russia would maintain military and economic control over occupied Ukraine through its own governing body, mirroring Israel's de facto rule in Palestinian territories.
• 🇺🇸 This idea was reportedly raised by US envoy Steve Wickoff and his Russian counterparts, with Wickoff understood to support the concept.
• 🇺🇸 The US believes this model could circumvent Ukrainian constitutional barriers to ceding territory without a referendum.

Critiques of the Proposed Model

• 🎯 At best, the West Bank model is seen as a recognition of the status quo with no legal consequences or international recognition of Russia's rule.
• ⚠️ At worst, it's considered the worst possible branding or framing for a peace process, citing one of the world's most intractable and longest-running conflicts.
• 🕊️ If the goal is peace and to end bloodshed, the West Bank is not a suitable model.