larry johnson speaks about the 'ukraine peace deal' which is putting on a great show;

When I started writing this piece I was hearing Bob Marley, in my head, singing No Woman, No Cry… Hence the title.

Many in the West, especially among US politicians and the US-mainstream media, harbor the fantasy that there will be a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine that conforms with the 28-point plan that was leaked to the press more than a month ago. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Donald Trump is serious about reaching a deal with Russia that meets the demands that President Putin outlined last Friday during his end of the year press conference (see here, Vladimir Putin Leaves No Doubt About Russia’s Demands to End the War in Ukraine… Do Donald Trump and Steve Witkoff Understand?).

I believe there is one demand that Putin did not mention and, to my knowledge, has not stated in public… The deal with the US must be a treaty that is ratified by the US Senate. Unless the agreement is concluded as a treaty, any promise by Donald Trump comes with an expiration date and will be ignored or rejected by US politicians and the Deep State.

Why do I say that? Let’s review what Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press where he discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. He expressed support for a deal but emphasized strong conditions and consequences if Russia rejects it. Graham said that he wants a peace deal “that would prevent a third invasion” of Ukraine by Russia (referring to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 full-scale invasion). He even conceded that not all Russian-occupied territory would be returned: “We’re not going to evict every Russian out of Ukraine, I understand that.”..........more..........