The many benefits of Trump's Ukraine peace plan
By Howard Richman
web posted December 1, 2025
President Donald Trump's proposed peace plan to end the Ukraine-Russia war could bring about many benefits: It would guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty, begin its economic rebuilding, end Russia's dependence upon China, and end Ukraine's military retreat. It is currently providing the framework for the negotiations between the two sides that are being conducted by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff.
As per usual, the Democrats have been lying about it, with no attempt by the mainstream media to correct them. Take, for example, Democrat Sen. Mark Warner on ABC News "This Week" on Nov. 23. He made four false points about Trump's plan, with no push-back from ABC's Martha Raddatz.
Lie 1 – Ukraine is winning the war
Warner's claim that Ukraine is winning the war ignores the facts on the ground. He claimed:
The Ukrainians have performed magnificently in the field. And they are reinventing the nature of warfare in terms of use – use of drones.
The reality is that the Ukrainian military is losing ground steadily. Both of the Ukrainian offensives of recent years, the Kherson offensive in Southern Ukraine in 2022 and the Kursk offensive into Southern Russia in 2024, have been totally reversed, with Russia winning back all the territory that Ukraine once took, and more. Analysts have somewhat different calculations, but agree that Ukraine has been retreating during the most recent months.
The Institute for the Study of War, a pro-Ukrainian website, calculates that the average Russian advance from August 15 to November 20 was at a rate of 9.3 square kilometers (3.6 square miles) per day. I have been tabulating Russia's net conquests of Ukrainian territory from the numbers reported by a neutral Singapore-based observer in Defense Politics Asia's Frontline Changes reports. According to those numbers, Russia's net conquests per day have been accelerating:
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Month of October. 24 square kilometers (9 square miles).
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November 1-18. 29 square kilometers (11 square miles).
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November 19-26. 56 square kilometers (22 square miles).
Lie 2 – Ukraine gives up unconquered territory under the plan
The claim that Ukraine would have to give up unconquered territory is also untrue. Warner said:
My reaction is it's awful. It would make Neville Chamberlain's giving in to Hitler outside of World War II look strong in comparison. The fact that… [it] would require Ukraine to give the – totality of the Donbas, parts they still control, cut back their military forces going forward, never be able to join NATO.
The reality is that Trump's plan proposes a trade in territory with the Russians giving up conquered territory outside of the Donbas provinces of eastern Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine giving up territory that Russia has not yet conquered within those provinces. Any territorial exchanges would have to be agreed to by both sides during Steve Witkoff's current negotiations.
Lie 3 – China would love to see this plan succeed.
Warner claimed that China is rooting for the plan, when just the opposite is true. He argued:
[T]he person who's watching this probably the most closely is President Xi in China. And if the Americans are willing to throw in their towel so much like this on Ukraine, you can bet that Xi is thinking, this gives him a clearer path in terms of taking Taiwan.
The truth is that the plan would end Russia's dependence upon China by reintegrating it into the global economy. President Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger understood that U.S. policy should be designed to weaken any Russia-China alliance. Nixon and Kissinger did so during the Vietnam War by courting China. Trump would do the same thing by courting Russia.
Lie 4 – The plan leaves Ukraine worse off
Warner held that the plan would hurt Ukraine:
To have this proposal forced upon them, I think as Zelenskyy said, Ukrainian dignity versus giving up a partner, I would hope the president would not be so weak as to try to force this plan on the Ukrainian and our other allies.
In actuality, however, the plan includes huge benefits for Ukraine, including guarantees from the U.S. of its future sovereignty as well as short-term preferential access to EU markets while its EU membership is being considered. Additional economic benefits for Ukraine are listed in Martin Armstrong's summary of point 12 of Trump's initial framework:
A powerful global package of measures to rebuild Ukraine, including but not limited to: The creation of a Ukraine Development Fund to invest in fast-growing industries, including technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence. The United States will cooperate with Ukraine to jointly rebuild, develop, modernize, and operate Ukraine's gas infrastructure, including pipelines and storage facilities. Joint efforts to rehabilitate war-affected areas for the restoration, reconstruction and modernization of cities and residential areas. Infrastructure development. Extraction of minerals and natural resources. The World Bank will develop a special financing package to accelerate these efforts.
Although the plan guarantees Ukraine's sovereignty, it does not guarantee Zelenskyy's – exactly the opposite. Zelenskyy cancelled Ukraine's future elections in 2023 but would have to hold them 100 days after the agreement under Trump's initial framework.
Trump Listens to Both Sides
If Trump is able to succeed in these negotiations, it is because he is able to listen to both sides. Ukraine wants to live a future life that is free of Russian domination so Trump's plan provides a U.S. guarantee of its future security and helps it to enter the EU.
Russia doesn't want foreign military presence on its doorstep and wants to protect the discriminated-against Russian-speaking minority of eastern Ukraine, which Zelenskyy recently stripped of its religious rights, so Trump's initial framework would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and would protect linguistic minorities.
In short, Trump's plan would guarantee Ukraine's, but not Zelenskyy's, sovereignty. It would help rebuild Ukraine's economy, protect minority rights, give Russia the opportunity to pull away from its dependence upon China, and bring about a lasting peace in Europe.
The alternative is more deaths and destruction while Russia continues its advances in Ukraine's eastern provinces. Meanwhile, neither the Democrats, nor the mainstream media, are telling the American public about the peace plan's many benefits. 
Howard Richman co-authored the 2014 book Balanced Trade published by Lexington Books, and the 2008 book Trading Away Our Future published by Ideal Taxes Association.
