MISHA’S MUSINGS: Issues abound with the proposed deal to end the Russo-Ukrainian war

Published 5:00 pm Friday, December 5, 2025

Recently, there has been a push by the American government under Trump to actively push for a proposed peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, and I have numerous issues with it.

First, the peace deal says that there will be no more fighting between Ukraine and Russia. Oh good. Peace is always good, you see. No more death, no more ammunition waste, no more waste of money, and more importantly, no more destruction. We can go back to living peaceful lives. Hang on to this thought.

Second, the peace deal will require Ukraine to limit the size of its army and not join NATO. Oh, and in addition, Russia will get to keep all of its territory it gained from an invasion that isn’t even legal. Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts – it’s all Russian now if this peace deal goes through.

Which, okay, now the peaceful lives will involve a government that did Bucha and other atrocities that will be in charge of Ukraine’s foreign policy future. Meaning, at any time, if Ukraine dares to have a backbone, Russia will just invade it again and again. Ukraine needs to be the little brother to Russia, like it was during the Tsarist era, according to this “peace” deal – hell, they were called “malorossiya” – literally known as Little Russia! Okay, this is not exactly a good peace deal.

This peace deal, as it stands, and it will be amended numerous times, is a horrendous one.

It’s a slap to the face of the millions of Ukrainians who have been injured or died for their country repelling an illegal and frankly self-defeating invasion that was done just to expand Russian territory and keep Putin in power. This is less peace and more a tense calm before the next inevitable storm, if and maybe when Putin decides that Ukraine has violated the deal through some ridiculous reading.

We have no reason to trust Putin. The chances of a Russian revolution to overthrow him are next to nil. As long as he is in charge of Russia, Ukraine will not and cannot assume it will be “safe.” I have no love for the Ukrainian government – especially the post-2014 Maidan government. The same Ukrainian government which was okay with naming streets in Kyiv after fascist collaborators Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, whose government had, in 2019, done nothing to make any of the more culturally Russian regions a part of the state feel like they are Ukrainian (this was from Zelensky’s first speech).

I have many complaints, in fact, about Ukraine – but that being said, this isn’t peace. This is a mere interruption of hostilities for the illusion of peace with no dignity towards Ukraine.

Do I want an end to this war? Yes. But this peace deal, if it goes through, will be like the call from the USC vs. Maryland college football game:

“Oh no! Disaster! What a bad idea!”