US row intensifies as Trump team demands Ukraine agree deal 'before security guarantees' & Ukrainian counterattack recaptures key positions in Pokrovsk

Day 1,372.


Today, as Thanksgiving is marked in the United States – and
supposedly the day by which Ukraine was meant to agree to a peace
deal, a deadline Donald Trump has now walked back – Russia denies
leaking the phone call in which Steve Witkoff coached Vladimir
Putin’s top aides on how to flatter the former president. We
assess whether Marco Rubio’s apparent demand – that a peace deal
be signed before the US grants Ukraine any security guarantees –
is remotely deliverable. We also report on how Moldovan
authorities attempted to return a Russian drone that violated
their airspace. And later, we hear from the Ukrainian public, and
gauge their reaction to this week’s extraordinary developments.


Contributors


Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls
on X.


Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley
on X.


With thanks to Svitlana Morenets, columnist at the Spectator.


SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER:


http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter  


Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your
questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive
analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the
frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily
reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.


CONTENT REFERENCED:


Who leaked Witkoff’s Kremlin call? These are the main suspects
(The Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/26/steve-witkoff-kremlin-call-main-suspects-witi-leaks/ 


Made in Moscow: The “U.S. peace plan” for Ukraine was
substantially formulated months ago by Kremlin operative Kirill
Dmitriev (The Insider):


https://theins.press/en/politics/287159 


Allies worry US demands Ukraine deal before security guarantees
(POLITICO):


https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/26/us-demands-peace-deal-before-security-guarantees-for-ukraine-00670210 


Moldova's Foreign Ministry confronts Russian ambassador with
drone that violated country's airspace (Kyiv Independent):


https://kyivindependent.com/moldovas-foreign-ministry-confronts-russian-ambassador-with-drone-that-violated-countrys-airspace/ 


A better way to craft a reparations loan (Hugo Dixon of the
Ukraine Reparations Loan):


https://www.ukrainereparationsloan.com/post/a-better-way-to-craft-a-reparations-loan 


Zarah Sultana’s pompous, luxury beliefs about Ukraine (The
Spectator):


https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/zarah-sultanas-pompous-luxury-beliefs-about-ukraine/


Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest


Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.