Peace in Ukraine

Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 5^th day of December in the year of our Lord 2025. Although the title of this Castle Report is peace, my beat is war today. And as usual there is no shortage of war to talk about. Specifically, I will be discussing President Trump’s 28 point proposed peace plan for Ukraine along with a few words about the other war, the one in the Middle East.

Trump proposes peace in Ukraine

Yes, President Trump is proposing peace in Ukraine. Perhaps he wants to turn his attention to other wars and potential wars. Or maybe he feels bad about campaigning that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours with just a few phone calls. I will be telling you what I propose the U.S. do in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Disclaimer

But before we get to that listen to this important information:

I am currently in the last month of my 46-year legal career which ends with the end of December. I still find it hard to say the word retirement, but I guess that’s what is happening to me. The profession of law has been great for me over the years. I worked hard to respect the profession and it returned the affection. But it doesn’t give its favors; one has to earn them. The law allowed me the opportunity to earn a good life and I am very grateful for that. No top-down collectivized system told me what my life would be. Instead I was free to chart my own course and achieve all that my ability could achieve.

Having said all that, this is a very stressful and very busy month for me. So this will be the last Castle Report for this year. I will join you again on the first Friday in January, God willing. I plan to continue telling you each week what is wrong with the world and what I think the solutions should be.

Ending the war in Ukraine in twenty-eight points

The President of the United States has proposed a 28-point plan to end the Ukraine war. So let’s take a look at that plan and compare it to what my version of a peace plan would look like. President Trump promised he would end the war 24 hours after he was elected. That was a little unrealistic as time has confirmed. Nevertheless it could have ended rather quickly. War means intervention by the United States and the best antidote to intervention is obviously non-intervention.

No threats, no sanctions no weapons, no intelligence, no coordination, no missiles fired deep into Russia, and no need for elaborate peace plans. The real fix is much simpler than all that: just come home and mind your own business which is $38 trillion of debt. The President must know that intervention by the U.S. started the whole thing. This plan, though well meaning, is just more of that intervention. The U.S. has had its hands in this mess from the get-go and any plan has to consider that.

How earlier American administrations sowed the seeds of war in Ukraine

The Orange Revolution in the early 2000s began it and the Maidan Revolution in 2014 completed the process from which conflict the U.S. apparently thought would result in a NATO military presence on the very border of Russia. Unless we come to understand the origin of this conflict it’s hard to see how we can help resolve it. The two so-called revolutions that I mentioned were attempts to manipulate Ukraine into a hostile relationship with Russia from which Ukraine had no possibility of victory even with U.S. and NATO help. Looking back at the 2014 coup we see two U.S. senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham actually present in the capital of Ukraine demanding publicly that the people of that country overthrow their duly elected government and replace it with one more favorably inclined toward the U.S.

Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokesperson for many presidents, including Joe Biden, was caught on one of those open mic telephone calls planning who would run the post-coup government. She took cookies to the protesters and bragged that we achieved it all with only $5 billion. So, as a result of this intervention, the U.S. is left trying to manage a problem that it created in the first place. Hundreds of thousands of dead and hundreds of billions of U.S. money expended and apparently all for nothing.

War profiteering

No, actually it was not a war for nothing, so what was it for? A recent report tells us at least the main purpose. While the U.S. is $38 trillion in debt, and Europe is trying to manage its decline under the weight of spiraling crime, collapsing birth rates and demographic destruction, some in Europe and the U.S. are doing quite well. The global arms industry without which the bloody struggles in Ukraine and the Middle East would not be possible are enjoying record profits.

The world’s biggest weapons manufacturers posted an all-time record $679 billion in revenue in 2024. The globalists and neo-cons or whatever you choose to call them live to fuel these companies and make them happy. A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reports what we already knew and that is that while the middle classes and poor are decaying rapidly, arms makers are thriving as never before. The U.S. companies lead the world of course with 39 companies making $334 billion.

European companies are working hard to keep up the 26 largest enjoyed a 13 Percent increase in sales. Sweden’s powerful Saab led the way with a 24 percent jump in profits. One other company, a Czech based company, though smaller than Saab was given the lead in feeding the Ukraine meat grinder and its revenue increased 200 percent. Israel didn’t want to lose out so its companies which send weapons to conflicts all over the world increased profits by 16 percent.

Arms merchants leveraging high demand

The SIPRI Report concludes that the arms giants are “capitalizing” on high demand. Therefore, they and the politicians they bribe have zero incentive to make peace. In World War two the situation was different because literally everyone including the President of the U.S. had sons or other relatives in the conflict but now the cannon fodder role is left for others.

Russia’s situation has seemed dire politically and economically at times, but not for Russian arms makers. Combined, their increase in 2024 was 23 percent. One might reasonably conclude that this whole war thing taken in its entirety is a conspiracy to destroy as many people as possible in order to make record profits. The people of the West may fear walking the streets of their cities but they never have to fear for the health of their “defense firms” because they are on the job.

About the Middle Eastern situation

For the first time ever, several Middle East companies have cracked the top 100. The deal is so sweet everyone gets in on it. These companies anxiously search the world for rare earth metals to keep the killing going as long as possible. Could that have anything to do with all the talk and deal making about the Chinese controlling the rare earth market. Back in the Middle East Dubai’s Edge Group made $4.7 billion much of it through drone and missile technology which they sell worldwide. For the first time Turkey’s defense sector took in $31 billion combined. So, when we discuss peace and whether this or that plan will work we have to keep in mind that war is by far the most profitable racket on earth and the global elites who pontificate about climate change and moral values are the same ones who profit from the bloodshed.

Some of the points about the Ukraine plan

We should at least mention a few points in the President’s 28-point plan:

1. Ukraine’s sovereignty will be confirmed.

2. A full and comprehensive non-aggression agreement will be concluded between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe and all “ambiguities” of the past 30 years are hereby resolved.

5. Ukraine will receive “reliable” security guarantees.

7. Ukraine agrees to enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO and NATO agrees to include language in its charter that it will not accept Ukraine as a member.

8. NATO agrees to not deploy troops in Ukraine.

10. The U.S. will receive “compensation” for its guarantee. If Ukraine invades Russia it will lose the guarantee. If Russia invades Ukraine it will face a decisive, coordinated military response and reimposition of all sanctions. And if Ukraine, without cause, launches a missile at Moscow, the security guarantee will be dissolved.

11. Ukraine retains the right to EU membership.

12. A global package for the reconstruction of Ukraine will be prepared. The World Bank will develop the funds for this effort.

13. Russia will be reintegrated into the global economy. Sanctions will be gradually lifted.

17. The U.S. and Russia will reimpose arms control treaties including START-1.

Russian-inhabited territories recognized as Russian

21. Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk will be recognized, including by the U.S., as Russian.

24. A humanitarian committee will be established to resolve humanitarian issues including exchange of all prisoners and bodies.

25. Ukraine will hold elections 100 days after the treaty is signed.

28. After the agreement is signed a ceasefire will immediately go into effect. All parties will withdraw to agreed upon lines.

So, one thing that comes immediately to mind is that there are a lot of ambiguous terms in the agreement that will have to be defined and resolved. Right now, nobody seems to like it. Warhawk, Lindsey Graham hates it so it has that going for it. Zelensky hates it because there are a few Ukrainian people still alive and there are more profits to be made if he could just persuade Trump to give him more money. Russia seems at least willing to talk about implementation so despite the fact that it is perhaps not the best solution it is a solution so I pray that it works.

Finally, folks, I pray that the U.S. will not bend to the will of Netanyahu and Zelensky, and their lobbyists in the U.S.. Come home close down much of the wasteful foreign “defense” spending. Mind our own business, reduce the deficit and defend America and its people. That’s my peace plan.

At Least that’ the way I see it.

Until January 2^nd or thereabouts folks,

This is Darrell Castle.