If the primary goal of the new American president Donald Trump is to reach any agreement regarding Ukraine, he could simply reduce aid to Kyiv and insist on accepting Moscow's demands. Meanwhile, as writes The Economist, some observers believe that the politician will view Ukraine's defeat as a negative outcome for both America and his image.
According to insiders, Trump fears that a failure in Ukraine could undermine his popularity, similar to how the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021 harmed President Joe Biden, which is why he plans to "avoid a bad deal."
Trump's circle is considering how to ensure the implementation of the agreement. Retired General Keith Kellogg, whom Trump appointed as special representative for Ukraine, and CIA veteran Fred Fleitz from a pro-Trump think tank suggested that America should "continue to arm Ukraine… to ensure that Russia does not take further steps and does not attack again after a ceasefire." Ukraine will not be asked to relinquish territories, and the U.S. along with its allies will lift sanctions on Russia and normalize relations only if Moscow signs a settlement acceptable to Kyiv. If Trump accepts these proposals, Ukrainians will be thrilled, the publication notes.
Eric Ciaramella from the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who previously worked in the White House under Trump, claims that the politician may seek an easy solution through a combination of "a stick for Russia and a carrot for Ukraine." And if Ukraine collapses, the analyst notes, Trump will simply blame Biden for it.
The collapse of Ukraine is not inevitable, although Russian successes in the coming weeks are likely to accelerate, the publication states. The Biden administration, in the final weeks of its tenure, is speeding up arms deliveries, utilizing the last funds allocated by Congress, and deploying everything it can to the front lines. Senior officials in the presidential administration assert that Ukrainian stocks of various munitions are currently in better condition than they have been in a long time.
Let us recall that former National Security Advisor, 80-year-old General Keith Kellogg, outlined his peace plan back in April here. In it, he describes the war as "a crisis that could have been avoided."
U.S. Marine sniper and volunteer for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, Matthew Sampson, assured that Donald Trump's return to the White House would be beneficial for Ukraine.