WP "Compensate Putin... Will Allow Armed Border Invasion"
Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a plan to pressure Ukraine into ceding territory to Russia if he re-enters the White House, according to the US daily The Washington Post (WP). WP cited foreign policy experts who pointed out that "Trump's plan would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin and condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force."
On the 7th (local time), WP reported, citing sources, that Trump’s peace plan involves Ukraine handing over the Crimean Peninsula and the eastern Donbas region to Russia.
Until now, Trump has repeatedly said that if re-elected, he would broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within 24 hours. However, he has not mentioned any specific terms for ending the war.
Sources said that Trump privately stated, "Both Russia and Ukraine want an exit strategy that saves face," and that some residents in parts of Ukraine would be fine even if their area became part of Russian territory. This completely reverses President Joe Biden’s policy of providing full military support to Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion. Trump is opposed to additional aid to Ukraine.
Some of Trump’s supporters reportedly oppose this peace plan, arguing that it could strengthen Putin’s dictatorship.
From Ukraine’s perspective, ceding territory is widely seen as an unacceptable condition. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that no territory will be given to Russia.
Michael Kofman, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said, "If you (Ukraine) reach out your hand, the other side (Russia) will very quickly try to take the rest of your arm," adding, "No American influence can force the Ukrainian leadership to pursue policies that would amount to political suicide domestically."
Not only Ukraine but also European allies who view Russia as a threat are expected to oppose Trump’s peace plan.
Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, criticized, "Trump’s team thinks of this as a problem only between Ukraine and Russia," and "They see this issue as a territorial dispute, not as one related to European security and the overall future of the world order."
Trump’s camp has pushed back against these reports.
Caroline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said, "Ignorant anonymous sources who have no idea what is happening or will happen are speculating about Trump’s plans," and added, "Only former President Trump is talking about ending the war."
Meanwhile, Russia forcibly annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and in September 2022 announced the annexation of four regions?Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson?controlled by pro-Russian separatists as Russian territory. The United States and the international community have condemned this as illegal and stated they will not recognize it.
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