ALEX BERENSON: Trump's crafty deal could end war in Ukraine, but media's war on Trump goes on

Author and former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson looks closely at President Trump's deal with Ukraine which could end the bloody war with Russia, and, surprise! finds the legacy media isn't providing the full picture.

Newsflash: Putin is not going to voluntarily give up the territory that hundreds of thousands of men have died taking. And Ukraine can’t make him. That’s why we need a ceasefire. Alex Berenson is a former New York Times reporter and the author of 13 novels, three non-fiction books, and the "Unreported Truths" Substack.

Let’s start with some unpleasant facts: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an old-school land grab by a murderous dictator. In a perfect world, the Ukrainian people would rise up, evict the Russian army with boomerangs, and ride into the sunset.But in this world, China puts a million Uighurs in open-air detention camps and nobody does squat. Viruses gonna virus, and great powers gonna great power. Even middling powers, if they have nuclear arms and the right (aka wrong) attitude.In this world, after an initial burst in 2022, Ukraine has lost territory slowly but steadily for the last two years, despite massive American aid. Russia has four times Ukraine’s population, and a leader who faces no domestic constraints keeping him from losing as many men as he deems necessary.The Europeans talk a good game about helping, but they have neither the military nor the political will to do more than talk (again, shocker!) For 80 years, Europe has had a terrible case of "let’s you and him fight." This war is only the latest proof. Have you noticed the Bundeswehr on the Ukrainian front lines? Me neither.So Ukraine needs the United States.And the United States has elected a president who does not believe this war is a good idea.President Trump wants peace. The left says he wants peace because he hates Zelenskyy and wants to build Trump Tower Kremlin. The right says he wants peace because he is tired of sending American tax dollars so Ukrainian and Russian boys can kill each other.Me, I’m not going to guess. I don’t presume to know what’s in our president’s head, much less his heart.Here’s what I do know. A peace that simply gives the Russians a few months to rearm is not a peace at all.Here’s what else I know. The Trump administration knows that, too.The administration has not fully released its ceasefire proposal publicly (a smart move, and a sign that it is serious rather than playing political games). But the details of it have leaked, as the administration no doubt expected.And its most important element is the one the media has barely mentioned: The proposal contains NO restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian military, as the Russian government wanted. That was a non-starter for Ukraine, a true red line.Nor does the proposal require Zelenskyy to quit, or even — as far as we know — hold free elections.Nor does it require Ukraine or any other country to recognize that the Crimean peninsula is part of Russia (though, apparently, it does extend American recognition).So why is the left shrieking?First, because the deal keeps the front lines in place, pretty much. Meaning that Russia is going to continue to occupy the territory it now occupies.So Trump is… wait for it… rewarding aggression! He’s allowing Putin to redraw Europe’s borders! (Well, one border of one country that even most Europeans probably couldn’t find on a map.)Yep. He sure is.