Advisers to Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, have proposed several options for resolving the war in Ukraine, including freezing the conflict or refusing to join NATO and funding aid to Kyiv. At the same time, Trump has not yet made a final decision or approved any peace plan, according to his former staff, emphasizing that he will make decisions on his own.
The Wall Street Journal writes about this.
During the election campaign, Trump often criticized Biden’s policy toward Ukraine. He claimed that he could quickly resolve the conflict by bringing both sides to the negotiating table, but did not specify how exactly to do so.
According to his allies, Trump has not yet approved any specific plan for a peaceful settlement, including how to get Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate.
Although advisers have submitted their proposals, the final decision will be made by Trump after consulting with key aides on how to handle this delicate situation.
During his first term, different factions fought for influence on foreign policy, and it looks like this will happen again. Allies of traditional views, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is seeking to lead the Pentagon, will likely push for a solution that does not allow Moscow to win a significant victory.
On the other hand, advisors like Richard Grenell, a candidate for the post of State Department chief or national security adviser, may favor a quick end to the war, even if it requires major concessions from Ukraine.
All of the proposals that have been floated run counter to the Biden administration’s approach and are aimed at freezing the war, which would cement Russia’s control over about 20% of Ukrainian territory and temporarily halt Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
One idea discussed by the Trump transition team, described by several people close to the president-elect, would require Kyiv to commit not to join NATO for at least 20 years. In response, the United States would continue to supply weapons to defend against future Russian aggression.
According to this strategy, the front line would remain unchanged, creating a 1,300 km demilitarized zone. It is unclear who would guard this territory, but as one of the advisors noted, the peacekeeping force would not include U.S. troops and would not be subordinate to U.S.-funded organizations such as the United Nations.
A member of Trump’s team said directly: “We can organize training and other support, but the Europeans must hold the weapons. We will not send American soldiers to keep peace in Ukraine and we will not pay for it. Let the Poles, Germans, British and French do it.”
Earlier, Trump was presented with a plan to limit arms supplies to Ukraine until Kyiv agrees to negotiate with Russia. Ukraine would still be able to try to regain the territories, but only through diplomacy.
It is not yet known which strategy Trump will choose – in full, in part, or none of them.
It is expected that such plans will cause strong resistance among US NATO allies, who perceive Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as a direct threat, as well as in Ukraine, where ceding territories will be seen as a surrender to Moscow.