There are still quite a few people alive today who recall V-E Day — the day in May of 1945 that World War II ended in Europe — and V-J Day, just three months later, when Japan surrendered, thus putting a close to the Pacific side of the war. But we all should at least remember learning about them.

And the world has been anxiously looking forward to “V-U Day,” a day when we will be able to celebrate the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine — the longest and most devastating conflict in Europe in the last 80 years. The current phase, which began with Russia’s incursion into eastern Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is approaching its fourth anniversary. But it really started in 2014 with the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea, a peninsula jutting from the southern Ukrainian mainland into the Black Sea and separated from mainland Russia by the Kerch Strait.

Thus far, all attempts at negotiating a ceasefire and a peace agreement have failed miserably, due almost exclusively to Vladimir Putin’s refusal to consider the slightest concession or compromise of his demands. It’s his way or the highway.

During the past several days, there has been a glimmer of hope in the form of a 28-point proposal from the U.S. administration, setting forth Donald Trump’s idea of a fair and just peace settlement . . . or what we were led to believe was his idea, with input from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

But when the first abbreviated details of the 28 points were leaked to the public, it was immediately obvious to anyone with a third-grade education that the proposal amounted to nothing less than Vladimir Putin’s shopping list, with lip service being paid to Ukraine’s post-war security requirements.

Then the recriminations began: first from Ukraine; then from the European allies, who had not even been advised of the preparation of the proposal; followed by accusations from members of the U.S. Senate that the list had actually been given to Witkoff by the Kremlin and passed along as Trump’s handiwork. Next came denials from both sides, indications of distress from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and an all-too-familiar outburst from Trump chastising Zelensky for being ungrateful.

And immediately everyone — the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, and the European Coalition of the Willing — scrambled to do damage control. Conferences were held in Geneva on Sunday; a revised framework for negotiations was drawn up; everyone present said it had been a very productive day; and as for Putin . . . well, he admitted having received the original proposal.

Now the White House has issued the following statement, characterizing it as a joint U.S.-Ukraine statement:

“The talks [with Kyiv] were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps. They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace. As a result of the discussions, the parties drafted an updated and refined peace framework.” [RFE/RL, November 24, 2025.]

Both sides are said to have agreed to “remain in close contact with their European partners.” [Id.]

Trump himself has remained uncharacteristically quiet.

With Secretary of State Rubio saying that there had been a “tremendous amount of progress” made but that there was “still some work to be done,” and President Zelensky saying that there were “signals that President Trump’s team is hearing us,” [Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC, November 24, 2025], it is apparent that plans for the celebration of V-U Day should be kept on the back burner for now.

The much-touted proposal for a quick and lasting peace is not going anywhere in a hurry. No one knows how long revisions will have to be discussed before they will be accepted by Ukraine and its European allies. And then it must go to the Kremlin, where Putin can be expected to find sufficient fault in it to justify further delays.

Meanwhile, the war continues . . . as evidenced by last night’s assaults on Ukraine by 104 Russian strike drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile — including one attack that struck a critical border crossing with NATO/EU member Romania — even as Ukraine commemorated the solemn anniversary of the Holodomor: the man-made famine orchestrated by the Soviet government in the 1930s that took millions of Ukrainian lives. [Id.]

But Putin says he wants peace.

Yeah . . . right.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/24/25