Two key advisers to Donald Trump presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – if he wins the November 5 presidential election – that involves telling Ukraine that it will only get more American weapons if it starts peace talks.
At the same time, the United States would warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in greater American support for Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.
Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who served as chiefs of staff on Trump’s National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on the battle lines prevailing during the peace talks, Fleitz said.
They presented their strategy to Trump and the Republican presidential candidate responded favorably, Fleitz added. “I’m not saying I agreed or agreed with every word, but we were pleased to receive the response we received,” he said.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said only statements made by the candidate or authorized members of his campaign should be considered official.
The strategy outlined by Kellogg and Fleitz is the most detailed plan yet from associates of Trump, who has said he could quickly resolve the war in Ukraine if he defeats President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election, although he has not said how. I would.
The proposal would mark a major shift in the U.S. position on the war and face opposition from European allies and within Trump’s own Republican Party.
The Kremlin said any peace plan proposed by a possible future Trump administration would have to reflect reality on the ground, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin remained open to talks.
“The value of any plan lies in nuances and taking into account the real situation on the ground,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters.
“President Putin has repeatedly said that Russia has been and remains open to negotiations, taking into account the real situation on the ground,” he said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Tuesday that freezing hostilities on the predominant front lines would be “strange,” given that Russia had violated international law by invading Ukraine.
“Ukraine has an absolutely clear understanding and it is detailed in the peace formula proposed by President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, it is clearly stated there: peace can only be fair and peace can only be based on international law,” he told Reuters. .
The White House National Security Council said the Biden administration would not force Ukraine into negotiations with Russia.
“President Biden believes any decision on negotiations is up to Ukraine,” said NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
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US authorities fear the plan will give Russia an advantage
The core elements of the plan were outlined in a publicly available research paper, opens in new tab published by the “America First Policy Institute,” a Trump-friendly think tank where Kellogg and Fleitz hold leadership positions.
Kellogg said it would be crucial to get Russia and Ukraine quickly to the negotiating table if Trump wins the election.
“We tell the Ukrainians, ‘You have to come to the table, and if you don’t come to the table, U.S. support will dry up,’” he said. “And you tell Putin: ‘You have to come to the table and if you don’t come to the table, then we will give the Ukrainians everything they need to kill you in the field.’”
According to his research article, Moscow would also be forced to come to the table with the promise of Ukraine’s NATO membership being postponed for an extended period.
Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Until Russia made some progress in recent months, the front lines had barely moved since the end of that year, despite tens of thousands of deaths on both sides in the relentless war. of trenches, the bloodiest fighting in Europe since the World War. Second war.
Fleitz said Ukraine does not need to formally cede territory to Russia under its plan. Still, he said, Ukraine was unlikely to regain effective control of all of its territory any time soon.
“Our concern is that this has become a war of attrition that will kill an entire generation of young people,” he said.
A lasting peace in Ukraine would require additional security guarantees for Ukraine, Kellogg and Fleitz said. Fleitz added that “arming Ukraine to the teeth” would likely be a key element of this.
“President Trump has repeatedly stated that a top priority in his second term will be to quickly negotiate an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump spokesman Cheung said.
Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said Trump is not interested in confronting Putin or defending democracy.
Some Republicans will be reluctant to pay more resources to Ukraine under the plan. The United States has spent more than $70 billion on military aid to Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion.
“What (Trump supporters) want to do is reduce aid, if not turn off the spigot,” said Charles Kupchan, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Putin said this month that the war could end if Ukraine agreed to abandon its ambitions to join NATO and hand over four eastern and southern provinces claimed by Russia.
During a meeting of the United Nations Security Council last week, the French and British ambassadors reiterated their view that peace can only be sought when Russia withdraws from Ukrainian territory, a position shared by kyiv.
Several analysts also expressed concern that Kellogg and Fleitz’s plan could give Moscow an advantage in the talks.
“What Kellogg is describing is a process toward Ukraine handing over all the territory that Russia now occupies,” said Daniel Fried, a former deputy secretary of state who worked on Russian policy.
During a podcast interview last week, Trump ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine and was skeptical about making Ukraine a member of NATO. He has indicated that he would act quickly to cut aid to kyiv if he were elected.
Biden has consistently pushed for more aid for Ukraine and his administration supports its eventual membership in NATO. Earlier this month, Biden and Zelenskiy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement.
With information from Reuters
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