Furious Zelenskyy Calls Trump’s Bluff Right Into His Face

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1:48Ben Meiselas:President Zelensky of Ukraine just checkmated Donald Trump ahead of their meeting on Sunday in Miami. Zelensky came up with a 20-point peace proposal that really smokes out Donald Trump and Putin's true agenda here. So Zelensky said, all right, Donald, all right, Putin, you want me to give up portions of eastern Ukraine? I'll do it. I'll give up portions of eastern Ukraine, but here's how it's got to go down. We'll do it if the following terms are met. Number one, there's got to be a 60-day ceasefire. So Russia has to agree 60 days of peace as a way of good faith and as a way of preparing for a referendum.

2:29Ben Meiselas:And let's take a vote in those eastern Ukraine areas. You want us to give up Donbass? You want us to give up these areas? Why don't we let the people vote? But it's got to be a free and fair election. We'll work with our European allies. And if you want to have the United States be involved, this has to be, though, open and transparent with all partners involved to make sure that this election is actually a genuine one. And then we'll let the people decide of Eastern Ukraine, if they want to be part of Ukraine or if they want to be part of Russia. But the parties need to agree wherever the people vote, we will ultimately respect that.

3:02Ben Meiselas:And then ultimately, if they decide one way or another, regardless, then the U.S. has to come in with very strong security guarantees that are a lot like Article five of NATO or article four, article five of NATO, so that if Russia does any extra steps after we do this, then there will automatically trigger this protection as though we were a member of NATO. And you will have to, you and Europe agree to protect Ukraine. And that means that if Russia attacks, it's viewed as an attack on everybody. So put up or shut up. It's a brilliant strategy because why wouldn't you agree to that unless you have bad faith intentions?

3:43Ben Meiselas:You see, it allows Zelensky in Europe, and Zelensky has been working with Friedrich Merz of Germany and the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and others, and van der Leyen, the European Council president, commissioner president, and they've been working very closely to come up with this plan. And it's a good way to show that Russia is not interested in peace at all, that Russia just wants, Russia will never agree to a ceasefire. Zelensky's always agreed to a ceasefire, not the other way around. Russia's the invading party. So it's a perfect way to expose what's going down. Let me show you how this has been described because I think this is absolutely a brilliant strategy.

4:21Ben Meiselas:This is written by Michael Weiss, who covers this incredibly. He goes, Zelensky has turned the painful question of territorial concessions into a joint challenge for Trump and Putin. And he has deferred responsibility for whatever happens to the Ukrainian people, the better to keep his legacy from being tarnished by a forfeiture of national sovereignty. Trump would have to guarantee the security of holding a national referendum. And it's unclear whether Ukrainians in the occupied territories would get a vote or how they might vote under foreign coercion. Putin would have to accept a 60 day ceasefire twice as long as the one offered by the U.S.

5:02Ben Meiselas:and Ukraine in May, which Putin rejected. Comparing a referendum on giving up Donetsk to Brexit is cheeky. 75 % of Ukrainians rejected this proposal as of December 15th, according to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology. And so to change their minds, the U.S. would have to really incentivize them. In short, Zalinski is calling America and Russia's bluff and doing it with a handshake and a smile, an invitation for Trump to come to Kiev. Going between the lines right here, the U.S. sees it. The U.S. side sees it as a major step forward that Zalinski is willing to hold a referendum and is no longer ruling out territorial concessions.

5:45Ben Meiselas:But as Zalinski emphasized during the phone interview with Axios, holding such a plebiscite would have major political, logistical, and security complications. That's why he thinks a 60-day ceasefire to arrange and hold a vote is the minimum. A senior U.S. official told Axios, the Russians understand the need for a ceasefire if Zelensky calls a referendum, but want a shorter timetable. Zelensky also said it's not yet clear to him whether Russia is prepared to agree to Trump's plan in the first place. I have some intelligence, but I'm at the moment when I want to believe only the words of leaders, he said.

6:22Ben Meiselas:I mean, a brilliant move. Because what happened right after Zelensky said that? Russia launched a massive ballistic missile strike last night on Kiev, on Kharkiv, and throughout Ukraine. And what Russia has signaled is that it doesn't want peace at all. Now, in response to Zelensky making this offer and heading to Miami in order to bring this offer to Donald Trump, where he's going to be on Sunday, Donald Trump then responded as, you know, we smoke Donald Trump's intentions out. Trump tells Politico, Zelensky doesn't have anything until I approve it. Trump's comments come ahead of his Sunday meeting with Zelensky, who will bring with him a new 20-point plan to end the war.

7:09Ben Meiselas:Politico explains that Donald Trump on Friday cast himself as the ultimate arbiter of any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in an exclusive conversation with Politico. Ukrainian President Zelensky is expected to bring to Trump on Sunday the new 20-point plan for peace that he worked with with the Europeans. The framework includes a proposed demilitarized zone, and the meeting is expected to focus on U.S. security guarantees. But in an interview, Trump appeared lukewarm to Zelensky's latest overture and in no rush to endorse the Ukrainian president's proposal. political rights, quote, he doesn't have anything until I approve it, Trump said.

7:48Ben Meiselas:So we'll see what he's got. The president's comments underscore the degree to which Ukraine's fate rests on convincing Trump that it is conceding enough to satisfy a president who at times has appeared inclined to lean toward Russia if it means an end to the war. Russia has moved very little from its maximalist position and has not reacted to the latest proposal. The U.S. meanwhile has pushed Zelensky to move off his original demands, and Trump has often seemed to lose patience with the haggling. Zelensky made a video of himself where he says the following, it is important if we succeed in organizing what we discussed today with President Trump's envoy.

8:26Ben Meiselas:Some documents, as I see it, are nearly ready, and some documents are fully prepared. Of course, there is still work to be done on sensitive issues, but together with the American team. We understand how to put all of this in place. The weeks ahead may also be intensive. Thank you to America. And Zelensky is smart. He knows what he's doing right here. He knows that when it comes to what the Trump regime is doing, he knows that when it comes to what Steve Whitcoff wants, that they're looking to force Ukraine to surrender. So you have Zelensky out there, again, outmaneuvering Trump and doing it with a smile on his face, working hand in hand with Europe.

9:05Ben Meiselas:Here's what he said about his conversations with the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz. Zelensky writes, I spoke with Chancellor Merz. We are coordinating our positions and everyone in Europe must be on the same page and defending our European way of life, the independence of our states and peace in Europe. There must be peace. This is brilliant too. Zelensky is making it clear and Europe is making it clear that Ukraine is Europe. Europe is Ukraine, right? Our European way of life, right? Not an American way of life, not a Russian way of life. Our European. Europe is one. The US and Russia are another.

9:41Ben Meiselas:And Zelensky has to balance the fact that, look, as I reported two days ago, right? I mean, this is what Putin said. Putin wants to run or offer Donald Trump to run the Zuprichia nuclear plant that Putin stole in the war with Trump. And Putin says, look, we can mine crypto together. We could use the nuclear plant to mine cryptocurrency for your businesses, Donald, and you can get extra rich. Don't you want to control a nuclear power plant, Donald? You and I will control the Zeprecia nuclear power plant together. So you have Putin saying that, look, I've been reporting, what, two, three days ago, and then consistently Putin, Putin's right hand, the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, their envoy and the head of the Russian sovereign fund, Kirill Dmitriev, Yuri Yushikov, the ambassador to the UK, Peskov, the PR flack for Putin.

10:38Ben Meiselas:All of them have been very clear that they want full surrender. They want all of Eastern Ukraine. They don't want to make a deal with Ukraine. They say that they're, they call it their special operation continues until they reclaim their territorial lands or their natural, their national historical territorial lands. They basically call Ukraine a fake state, an artificial state that belongs to Russia. This is what they're saying. So I think clearly Zelensky knows that's what they're saying. Everybody knows what's going on. Europe knows what's going on here. And Donald Trump's just trying to deliver a victory for Putin so Trump can cash out with Putin because Trump thinks he can make some great economic deal with Putin.

11:22Ben Meiselas:Let me just also be clear. The economy of Russia is a failing economy. It's not a good economy. It's about$2.5 trillion. Not all that big. Canada's economy is almost double the size of Russia, for example, and Donald Trump attacks Canada. Russia's economy is the size of Italy. And the Wall Street Journal did a report, though, that given Putin's madness, like given the fact that he's a psychotic dictator, it's also a bad place long-term to do business. And the West doesn't want to do business with them other than Donald Trump. And so, you know, I think that's an important thing to reflect on and remember as well.

12:00Ben Meiselas:You know, the irony of this all is that Trump becoming more of an ally with Europe and Ukraine, They're far wealthier than what he wants to do with Russia. But, you know, Trump's a Putin bootlicker. So this is what Trump is enamored by Putin's authoritarianism. This is what Trump wants to be an authoritarian like that. That's how Trump wants to reign in the United States. Zelensky goes, we spoke with Friedrich about the preparations for the meeting with Trump. I briefed him on our work with the U.S. envoys. We all recall the Berlin meetings were productive. I'm grateful for Germany for its unwavering and tangible support for Ukraine and our defense.

12:37Ben Meiselas:Thanks to what we are doing together with Germany, thousands upon thousands of lives of Ukraine have already been saved from Russian strikes, and we are maintaining our defensive positions to ensure the strength of our diplomatic positions. Friedrich, thank you. So that's what he says there. He sends similar messages to Denmark, similar messages to his European allies in general. And then on Friday, we saw the massive ballistic missile strikes from Russia lashing out before the meetings between Trump and Zelensky on Sunday. Well, I mean, just think about it. Trump attacked Zelensky for Zelensky offering a path for Trump to give up eastern Ukraine or portions of eastern Ukraine.

13:17Ben Meiselas:Just do it as a vote. But you got to give us a 60 day ceasefire. No, no, no, you can't do that. You can't do a 60 day ceasefire. What? Oh, got it. Understand what your intentions are, Donald. Understand what your intentions are, Putin. That's why this move was so freaking brilliant, in my opinion. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million. Thanks for watching.

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