What does Trump's peace plan mean for Putin? It's 'a reward to a dictator,' says Free Russia Foundation's Natalia Arno.

[Passages]

7:07 am, November 23, 2025 Source: Meduza


Members of the Trump administration are sending mixed messages about the new, 28-point peace plan drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. On Friday, President Donald Trump himself deemed this upcoming Thursday an “appropriate” deadline for Ukraine to sign off on the proposal or lose U.S. support. But on Saturday evening, senators at the Halifax International Security Forum relayed comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who allegedly called the document Russia’s “wish list” and claimed that he “was not aware” of any threats to withhold American weapons or intelligence from Kyiv. Rubio later contradicted the senators, saying that the peace proposal was authored by the U.S. based on input from both Russia and Ukraine. Earlier that day in Halifax, The Beet editor Eilish Hart sat down with pro-democracy activist Natalia Arno, the head of the Free Russia Foundation, to discuss what the Kremlin stands to gain from the proposal on the table. Here’s their conversation, edited for length and clarity.

What do you make of the peace plan drawn up by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev?

— Well, I cannot call it a peace plan. It’s a reward to an aggressor, a reward to a dictator. There is nothing that brings Russia to accountability, and there are a lot of requirements for Ukraine and Europe. There are no [real] security guarantees — only guarantees about how the U.S. can revoke its security guarantees. So it doesn’t make any sense. Why reward the country that launched the war, is not winning, and is not making gains on the front lines?

Maybe they will capture Pokrovsk by the end of the year, but it will cost a huge [number of] human lives, and a lot of money, equipment, and so on — and the [distance] between Avdiivka and Pokrovsk is what, 45 kilometers [less than 30 miles]? Russia is not gaining anything or winning — and Ukraine is not losing. [On the contrary,] Ukraine is not just a recipient of assistance. It’s actually becoming an expert in warfare, and it can offer expertise to counter [Russia’s] hybrid war with Europe and NATO.

[The proposal] also sets a very bad global precedent. Every dictator will think that they can attack anybody, hold on long enough, and then the world will reward them. This is not a peace plan. It’s not “neutral” or “good” — it’s something that should be condemned. Of course, it’s up to Ukraine to decide, but I was outraged when I looked through it.

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/11/23/what-does-trump-s-peace-plan-mean-for-putin-it-s-a-reward-to-a-dictator-says-free-russia-foundation-s-natalia-arno

[dutch777]

1. It's the worst message to send....unjust aggression pays dividends. Plus allows Putin to rebuild and aim elsewhere.

To restrict Ukraine from joining NATO is a death sentence for Ukraine despite the so called "security guarantee". Whether that guarantee is from EU countries or the US or both, the reluctance to engage with military force against Russia in the future will be as great, or maybe greater, than it is now and Ukraine will be lost in its entirety. If sanctions are lifted on Russia and its oil can be sold at market rates it will stay on a war footing and use fresh cash to rebuild its military bigger and better. Whether that gets pointed back at Ukraine, Moldova or the Baltics, Putin will have little to hold him back.