| AP United News |
It has been revealed that former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had pledged to end the Ukrainian war immediately upon re-election, has a peace plan that pressures Ukraine to abandon territories occupied by Russia.
The Washington Post reported on the 7th (local time), citing a source, that “Former President Trump will propose a plan for Ukraine to cede the Crimea Peninsula and the eastern Donbas region to Russia.” This is completely contrary to the policy of President Joe Biden, who has emphasized military support for Ukraine and resisting Russian aggression. Russia already forcibly annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and announced in September 2022 that it would incorporate four provinces, including the Donetsk region of Donbas, into its territory.
Former President Trump had previously confidently stated that he would bring about a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine “within 24 hours” if he regained power. Still, he did not disclose a specific peace plan. He reportedly said in private that both Russia and Ukraine “want to save face (from the war) and want to escape” and that “some people in certain regions of Ukraine would be okay with becoming part of Russia.” Republican figures who feared the expansion of the dictatorial regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war, have also tried to persuade former President Trump. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said, “I have spent 100% of my time discussing Trump and Ukraine” and “Putin must pay a price. He cannot win at the end of the war.”
There are growing concerns that if peace is achieved according to the plan of former President Trump, Ukraine’s future security will become even more vulnerable. If the war ends by rewarding Putin, who started the war, it would effectively condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force. Emma Ashford, a senior researcher at the U.S. think tank Stimson Center, described Trump’s plan as a “horrible deal,” saying, “If Ukraine exchanges territory for peace without a guarantee that Russia will not arm itself and act hostilely as in the past, Ukraine will be in a bad position.”
Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who served as a senior assistant for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council (NSC) during the Trump administration, predicted that not only Ukraine but also European allies who see Russia as a threat would oppose such a plan. Hill said, “The Trump side sees this as an individual problem between Ukraine and Russia,” and “they see it as a territorial dispute, not a problem related to the overall future of European security and world order.” In response, Carolyn Levitt, a spokesperson for the Trump camp, issued a statement saying, “Anonymous ignorant sources who have no idea what is happening or what will happen are speculating about President Trump’s plan” and “President Trump is the only one talking about ending the war.”
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