The U.S. pressured Ukraine to accept a peace proposal

President Trump lashed out yesterday at President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine after he rejected a U.S. plan to end the war with Russia. “He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump wrote on social media.

Vice President JD Vance outlined the U.S. proposal, which closely aligns with Russia’s goals. It includes a “freeze” of territorial lines in the three-year war, acceptance of the Russian annexation of Crimea and a promise that Ukraine will not join NATO.

It was the first time a U.S. official had publicly laid out a peace plan that favors Russia in such stark terms. Vance said the U.S. would “walk away” from the diplomatic effort if both Ukraine and Russia refused to accept the terms. But Zelensky was clearly the target.

Hours earlier, Zelensky said his country would never accept Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea as legal. “There is nothing to talk about,” he said. “This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.”

Crimea: Trump accused Zelensky of making “inflammatory” statements. “If he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” Trump wrote. “The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!”

Context: Russia currently occupies close to 20 percent of Ukraine. A freeze would essentially force Ukraine to surrender huge swaths of land to Russia.

Syria’s new leader seeks allies

Christina Goldbaum, our Syria bureau chief, sat down this month with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, who came to power after his rebel forces toppled the Assad regime in December.

In the wide-ranging interview, al-Shara urged the U.S. to lift sanctions against his country and alluded to possible future military support from Russia and Turkey as he navigates a delicate balancing act with Israel.

“The fall of the regime and the new state in which Syria found itself paved the way for an entirely new set of security relations in the region,” he said. “That’s why many nations, whether regional or European, have a great interest in the stability of Syria.”

Read the full interview and here are the key takeaways.

Pope Francis’ body lay in state

Thousands of mourners lined up for hours yesterday to pay their respects to Pope Francis, whose coffin was moved from his residence to St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis’ body is lying in state there for three days to allow the faithful to bid farewell. The coffin will be closed Friday night, and the funeral will take place on Saturday.

Legacy: Francis, who died at 88, was a pope of great, often outsize, expectations. Some Catholic liberals expected a revolution, but analysts agree that there was a lot that Francis did do.

In film: “Conclave” saw a huge jump in views after Francis’ death.

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That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

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