Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday issued a blistering indictment on X of a proposed U.S. peace plan between Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Gingrich wrote, "Any 'peace' agreement between Ukraine and Russia which weakens Ukraine's ability to defend itself is in fact a surrender agreement which guarantees that in the next few years Putin will overrun all of Ukraine."
He added, "Ukrainian courage and patriotism should not be betrayed by Americans growing tired of stopping evil. A Putin victory will be a stepping stone to a much, much more dangerous world."
Gingrich's virulent words undermine apparent U.S. plans to force Ukraine to quickly accept its terms that would require Kyiv to accept major concessions in exchange for American-led security guarantees that remain completely undefined.
Gingrich offers several reasons for his warning that Ukraine should refuse any deal that weakens its defense posture:
– Loss of deterrence and defense capability: He argues that if Ukraine agrees to limits — on its military size, its ability to strike into Russian territory or to retain certain weapons systems — it would undermine the very engine of its survival. In his view, a weakened Ukraine invites renewed aggression from Russia and, eventually, the loss of the country.
– Symbolic betrayal of Ukrainian sacrifice: Gingrich emphasizes that Ukrainians have fought, died, and rebuilt under fire for their freedom — and that for the U.S. or the West to pressure Kyiv into an unfavorable deal is not just a strategic error but a moral betrayal of Ukrainian courage.
– Global strategic implications: Gingrich contends that allowing Putin to prevail in Ukraine would not stop at that conflict. A Russian victory, in Gingrich's view, would embolden Moscow, weaken the Western alliance and signal to rivals that aggression pays — potentially destabilizing Europe and beyond.
– Timing and American fatigue: Gingrich implicitly links his concerns to what he perceives as U.S. war fatigue or domestic pressure to disengage. If the U.S. allows Ukraine to settle for a deal perceived as surrender, the lesson will be that the West backs away when the stakes get heavy.
While Gingrich's criticism is pointed, he is not alone in sounding alarms about the proposed peace architecture.
Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based research group tracking the Ukraine war, warned that the U.S. peace plan is tantamount to a "full capitulation" of Ukraine to Russia.
In one note, ISW stated that "an agreement … based on those protocols would be a capitulation document … Ukraine is unlikely to accept any peace agreement based on the Istanbul negotiations" precisely because they would amount to full surrender to Russian long-term war goals.
ISW also noted that Russian demands — such as deep cuts in Ukrainian forces, removal of long-range weapons, and tightly constrained defense postures — give Moscow disproportionate advantage.
The think tank warned that if Ukraine agreed to such an agreement, Russia would be emboldened to attack Ukraine again or other targets across Europe.
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