U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, second from left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, sit at the beginning of talks with the Ukrainian delegation at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva Nov. 23.
Last week, a 28-point "peace plan" for the Russia-Ukraine war surfaced. It was apparently fleshed out in Miami over cocktails by President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Witkoff's Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.
Many critics immediately derided it as a "Russian wish-list."
That was before we discovered the version which was leaked had literally been poorly translated from Russian. Secretary of State Marco Rubio even described it as a "wish-list for the Russians" and "not the administration's plan." On his way to Geneva for peace talks, Rubio scrambled to deny he ever said that.
But all of that is apparently moot. What seems to have happened, amid all the chaos, is Rubio had pried the Ukraine portfolio away from Witkoff. By Tuesday, Rubio revealed there is a whole new plan anyway.
This is good news because the original plan wasn't in America's best interest.
I believe American foreign policy should put America first. But I don't subscribe to "America First" foreign policy because that's a label slapped on anything Trump wants.
People who embrace the slogan "America First" generally believe helping Ukraine isn't in America's interest. I think they're wrong.
Because Vladimir Putin's Russia is America's enemy.
This isn't nearly as controversial as you might think if you only get foreign policy analysis from MAGA influencers on social media. Russia allies itself with our adversaries, in China, the Americas and the Middle East. This policy is deeply rooted in Russian history and in Putin's nostalgia for Russian "greatness." But if it matters, there's also a doctrine behind it, the Primakov Doctrine, which holds Russia should do everything it can to constrain and contain America and NATO.
If you're of a more idealistic bent, Russia is also a murderous authoritarian regime that oppresses its people and visits heinous war crimes on its neighbors.
In short: They're the bad guys.
That's why there's a compelling moral argument for helping Ukraine resist a lawless and brutal invasion that has taken perhaps a million lives and resulted in the kidnapping of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to be brainwashed.
Put morality and national honor aside. A cold-eyed, America-First strategist might argue the slaughter of Ukrainian troops -- and civilians -- is in our interest if it comes at the cost of bleeding Russia's military, economy and global prestige.
No, we shouldn't send American troops to fight Russia. That is a straw man raised by opponents of helping Ukraine at all. But weapons? Intelligence? Why not? Many of NATO's weapons were built for the purpose of fighting Russia. If Ukraine can use them to that end, it's the best of both worlds.
This original "peace deal" would rescue Russia, ceding it territory it hasn't been able to win militarily. It would provide Russia sanctions relief, invite it back into the G8 and hobble Ukraine militarily and politically. It describes America as a "mediator" between Russia and NATO, despite the fact NATO is an alliance created and led by America. There is no greater strategic goal for Russia than dividing America from her NATO allies. All of this in exchange for the "expectation" that Russia wouldn't invade Ukraine again later.
Hopefully, Rubio has come up with something more in America's interest, and less in Russia's.