Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews expressed outrage on Monday over President Donald Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace deal restricting NATO troops in Ukraine.

The draft agreement includes that NATO agrees not to station troops in Ukraine according to Sky News. Matthews raised concerns on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that the provision would bar U.S. troops from fighting Russia on behalf of Ukraine.

“This thing smells from the beginning. When people say, ‘Is this Russia’s plan?’ … Who else would have cooked up this plan? 600,000 troops by the Ukrainians — that is a post‑Munich decision, after the deal was made that Trump will be in love with. After the deal, who’s going to defend Ukraine? And it’s going to be a smaller army against a larger portion of their country taken away already. They didn’t win on the battlefield. They’ll have a larger portion. No NATO troops — that means no U.S. troops.”

Matthews continued his criticism by questioning Trump’s commitment.

“Does anybody trust Donald Trump to go to war to defend Ukraine after the deal? Whatever happens, the aggressor Russians who are set on aggression — that’s what they want. That’s their motive in life. That’s [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s motive in life. Does anybody think that Donald Trump will put American troops in Ukraine to defend that country, or will lead NATO troops in that country? I don’t see it.”

Matthews argued that the limitations of Ukrainian troops and the restriction of NATO troops indicates that Russia wants to continue fighting against Ukraine.

“And I think everything in this deal — and I think it is a Russian deal — is cooked up for the Russians. Why reduce the size of the Ukrainian army unless you intend to fight after the battle, after the deal, more fighting? That’s why you would restrict NATO troops — because you want to fight after the deal. The Russians are not quitting. They may cut a deal that’s favorable to them in the short run, but they’re coming back again.”

Trump expressed optimism about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in a Monday Truth Social post.

“Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

The president had given a Thanksgiving deadline for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a peace deal to end his nation’s war with Russia while saying deadlines could be extended.

Zelenskyy signaled his willingness to discuss concessions outlined in the proposed peace deal. He asserted in a Friday X post that his government was at work on the individual points. However he also said in a Friday video statement that the U.S. had put Ukraine in a position of either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.

Putin said on Friday that Trump’s plan could form the basis for a final peace agreement.

Matthews’ meltdown perfectly encapsulates the disconnect between Washington establishment thinking and what average Americans want. The former cable news host seems genuinely shocked that Trump would negotiate a peace deal that doesn’t involve sending American soldiers to fight Russians in Eastern Europe.

His outrage over the no NATO troops provision reveals the interventionist mindset that has dominated foreign policy for decades. These elites believe America should be willing to risk World War III and countless American lives to defend Ukraine’s borders while ignoring our own southern border.

The comparison to Munich is particularly absurd. Matthews invokes the 1938 agreement with Hitler to suggest Trump is appeasing Putin, ignoring the massive differences between those situations. Ukraine is not a NATO member and the United States has no treaty obligation to defend it militarily.

Matthews’ certainty that Russia will keep fighting after any deal shows his belief that endless war is the only option. He cannot conceive of diplomacy actually working or both sides having incentives to maintain peace once an agreement is reached.

His question about whether anyone trusts Trump to send troops to Ukraine after a deal is telling. Matthews seems to think the threat of American military intervention should remain on the table indefinitely, keeping the potential for direct U.S.-Russia conflict alive forever.

The criticism of limiting Ukraine’s army size ignores the practical reality that Ukraine has been unable to field enough troops to win the war despite massive Western support. A smaller professional military might be more sustainable than trying to maintain unsustainable force levels.

Trump’s optimistic Truth Social post stands in stark contrast to Matthews’ doom and gloom. The president sees potential for actual peace while the former host can only imagine continued conflict and betrayal.

Putin’s statement that the plan could form the basis for final agreement suggests Russia is taking the proposal seriously. This is exactly the kind of diplomatic progress that should be celebrated rather than attacked.

Matthews represents the old guard of foreign policy thinking that got America into endless wars in the Middle East and now wants to risk nuclear war over Ukraine. Trump represents a new approach that puts American interests first and seeks to end conflicts rather than perpetuate them.