The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 7th that former President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine, who had boasted that he would immediately end the war in Ukraine if he returned to power, was to pressure Ukraine into giving up territory to Russia.<\/p>\n
Former President Trump is reportedly considering Ukraine ceding Crimea and the eastern Donbass region to Russia, according to sources who discussed the matter with Trump or his advisers. Russia had already forcibly annexed the Crimea Peninsula in 2014, and in September 2022, it annexed four oblasts, including Zaporizh and Kherson oblasts, along with Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the Donbass controlled by pro-Russian separatists, into Russian territory. announced that it would do so.<\/p>\n
The international community, including the United States, has criticized Russia’s annexation of the four states’ territories as illegal and stated that it will not recognize it. Meanwhile, former President Trump confidently said several times that if re-elected, he could negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours, but he did not specify how he would end the war. He privately said that both Russia and Ukraine “want to save face and want a way out,” the source said, adding, “Residents in some parts of Ukraine would be fine if their places became part of Russian territory.”<\/p>\n
WP reported that if Russia controls part of Ukraine’s territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship will expand, and some Trump supporters have been trying to persuade former President Trump to oppose this outcome. “I’ve spent 100 percent of my time talking about Trump and Ukraine,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. Experts are concerned that Ukraine will become more vulnerable if a ceasefire with Russia is agreed upon, with Ukraine giving up territory without guarantees that Russia will not attack again after rearming as it has done in the past. \u201cThis is a situation where you put out your hand and the other person will very quickly try to take the other arm,\u201d said Michael Kaufman, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.<\/p>\n
Fiona Hill, a senior member of the Brookings Institution who served as a senior adviser for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council (NSC) during the Trump administration, predicted that not only Ukraine but also European allies who view Russia as a threat will oppose it. “Trump’s team sees this as an individual issue for Ukraine and Russia alone,” Hill said. “They see this as a territorial dispute, not an issue connected to the security of Europe and the overall future of the world order.” Former President Trump’s plan is completely opposite to President Joe Biden’s policy, which has provided weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian invasion. Former President Trump previously pressured Republican lawmakers in Congress to block additional aid to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Caroline Levitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, responded to the WP report in a statement, saying, \u201cAnonymous and ignorant sources who have no idea what is happening or will happen are speculating on President Trump\u2019s plans,\u201d adding, \u201cOnly President Trump is talking about ending the war. \u201cThere is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"