Friday Focus: leaked peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine demands major concessions from Zelensky 

The full length edition of this week’s Friday Focus podcast being made available to all paying and non-paying subscribers.

Rudyard and Janice unpack the leaked 28-point draft peace plan for Ukraine negotiated between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev. The deal requires Ukraine to give up the remainder of the Donbas region in exchange for a security guarantee from Europe and the US, and also puts the country’s pathway to NATO membership on hold. What happens if Zelensky, who is already unpopular and facing deep divisions at home, accepts this deal? Does he have room to negotiate? Meanwhile, the rest of Europe is watching closely and preparing for war. Do the Baltic and eastern European states have reason to be concerned? Is European deterrence a failure? And what role can and will NATO play in pushing back against Russian aggression?