Putin's Obsession With Total Victory Crimps Trump's Peace Promise
Date
1/27/2025 1:14:58 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times)
Donald trump has already walked back on his claim that he would solve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of taking office.
Just as he once stated that he would resolve the healthcare crisis in the US easily, then backtracked to say“nobody knew that health care was so complicated”, Trump's advisors have now admitted the war in Ukraine can't be easily negotiated . Trump's“art of the deal” does not really work in the real world of conflict resolution.
Trump's original plan was to give Ukraine additional military aid to provide a deterrence against further Russian aggression. This would incentivize it to come to the negotiating table.
Another possible tactic was halting aid to Ukraine to get it to negotiate. Once“peace talks” began, Trump would urge Ukraine to capitulate territory and create an 800-mile demilitarized buffer zone (to be guarded by NATO or European troops).
On the issue of NATO, Trump is sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin's view that Ukraine joining NATO is a threat to Russian security. So, Ukraine would have to abandon its dreams of ever joining the regional security bloc.
Russia, in turn, would get major sanctions relief, while a portion of the proceeds from tariffs on Russian energy exports would be allocated to Ukraine.
Trump's peace plan was engineered by Russia-Ukraine special envoy Keith Kellogg (a highly decorated three-star general), who recently canceled an upcoming trip to Kyiv . In spite of this, Trump has signaled that he wants to engage in diplomatic talks with Putin to “get the war over with.”
While the plan faces many hurdles, the biggest obstacle is that Putin does not really want to make a deal. Yes, in October, Russia was losing 1,500 troops a day and the country was, and still is, struggling to recruit men.
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