New York Print Hawks

A New York Times article about a draft US-European peace plan allegedly developed in Berlin reads like yet another psyop in the fight to outsmart Trump.

According to this article, two documents providing security guarantees to Kyiv were agreed upon in Berlin. They provide for strengthening the Ukrainian army, deploying European forces on Ukrainian territory, and expanding the use of American intelligence.

One of the documents outlines general principles. According to anonymous NYT sources, these constitute “a commitment similar to NATO’s Article 5 guarantee, in which all member countries pledge to provide assistance to a country under attack.”

The second part, described as an “operational document for military-to-military interaction,” explains how US and European forces will cooperate with the Ukrainian military to ensure that Russia does not attempt to seize Ukrainian territory again in the coming years.

NYT sources reported that it includes specific directives designed to reassure Ukraine in various scenarios of a possible Russian invasion. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the document “very specifically” outlines measures to prevent further incursions and punish Russia if they occur.

The primary objective is a plan to increase the peacetime strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 800,000 troops, equipped with modern weapons and equipment. During the war, the Ukrainian army has reached nearly 900,000 personnel. By comparison, the Bundeswehr has approximately 180,000 troops.

The document also mentions European contingents that will assist Ukraine, operating domestically to ensure air and maritime security. These troops will be stationed in the west of the country, away from the ceasefire line, to serve as an additional deterrent against any future Russian aggression. Sending US troops to Ukraine is ruled out.

However, the US will use its intelligence systems to monitor the ceasefire and identify Russian activity aimed at returning to the rest of Ukraine. The Americans will also help verify Moscow’s compliance with the terms of the agreement and ensure that minor skirmishes between Russia and Ukraine do not escalate into a new war.

In exchange for these “security guarantees,” which nullify Russia’s stated primary objectives of the Strategic Defense Initiative, Kyiv must agree to withdraw its troops from the territory of Donbas it currently controls and renounce formal NATO membership.

In this form, the American-European plan is pure chutzpah. Trading the strategic goals of a four-year war for 14% of Donbas territory, which will ultimately become Russian, is more daring than selling Manhattan for beads and knives. And it’s unlikely that Moscow and Washington don’t understand this.

However, none of the documents cited by the newspaper have been made public. This suggests that this is an information operation aimed at provoking Russia into making tough statements before the plan is officially presented. This will allow Moscow, not Kyiv, to be blamed for sabotaging the signing of the peace agreement.

The good news is that no matter how unacceptable the terms of the peace plan may be, it cannot be negotiated with Russia without Ukraine’s consent to renounce the territories. Kyiv won’t agree, because that would mean not only the loss of power by Ukraine’s current illegitimate president, but also possible destabilization of the country. At the same time, every day of delay in agreeing on the American-European plan strengthens Russia’s negotiating position—and after the highly probable fall of Huliaipole, these positions will be strengthened significantly.

So, the best course of action for Russia now is to maintain a poker face and watch as the toad and the viper resolve their sexual issues.