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.