DONALD Trump’s reported plan to end the Ukraine war has emerged after Zelensky held a call congratulating the president-elect.
It comes as the election winner and Vladimir Putin are also reportedly likely to speak soon – and the Russian’s army continues to brutally attack Ukraine.
AFPDonald Trump’s Ukraine plan would cede parts of eastern Ukraine to Putin, the WSJ reports[/caption]
ReutersFollowing his election win Trump will now push for peace in Ukraine[/caption]
ReutersThe plan reportedly would create a demilitarised zone down the current front line[/caption]
During the campaign the Republican did not reveal his peace plan, but ending the war in Ukraine will be one of his first objectives.
Trump would freeze the conflict in place and establish a demilitarised zone down the locked front line, the Wall Street Journal now reports.
Kyiv would not join Nato for 20 years, but the US would then continue to arm Ukraine to the teeth to prevent Putin from invading again.
Who would police the demilitarised zone remains unclear, according to the sources, but it wouldn’t involve American troops or an international body.
An anonymous member of the Trump team said: “We can do training and other support but the barrel of the gun is going to be European.
“We are not sending American men and women to uphold peace in Ukraine. And we are not paying for it. Get the Poles, Germans, British and French to do it.”
It remains unclear if the Ukrainians approve of the plan – but Zelenksy has already spoken to the president-elect.
Zelensky wrote on Telegram that he had an “excellent” call with Trump and congratulated him on his landslide victory.
The Ukrainian said: “Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”
Trump’s man in Ukraine said the newly elected Republican will tell Vlad to “stop the war”, the Independent reports.
Kurt Volkner, who was Trump’s special representative for Ukraine between 2017 and 2019, said Trump will immediately push for peace.
He said Trump is “going to make a phone call to Putin as quickly as possible and tell Putin that he needs to stop the war, that the fighting has to stop, and that there has to be peace.”
The Kremlin has responded saying “we will see” about Trump’s plans and that the US was still an unfriendly country.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict.
AFPPresident Joe Biden’s policy had been to let Kyiv run the peace process[/caption]
twitter/ZelenskyyUaZelensky congratulated Trump on his election win[/caption]
“This cannot be done overnight, but… the U.S. is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy.
“Will this happen, and if so, how … we will see after (the U.S. president’s inauguration in) January.”
Peskov said he was also not aware of any plans by Putin to congratulate Trump on his win.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is now rushing to deliver unspent military aid worth around $9bn (£7bn) to Kyiv.
Ukraine continues to be attacked by Russia, with a drone blitz on Kyiv overnight hammering an apartment building.
A fire in an auto repair shop was caused by the falling debris, as Ukraine’s civilians continue to suffer in the war.
Trump has previously called Zelenksy a “great salesman” and said he would be able to end the war before even taking office.
In September, he said: “I would get [Putin] into a room. I’d get Zelensky into a room. Then I’d bring them together. And I’d have a deal worked out.”
Trump said in a July 2023 interview: “I would tell Zelensky, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot.
“We’re going to (give Ukraine) more than they ever got if we have to.
“I will have the deal done in one day. One day.”
During his first term, Trump threatened to withdraw the U.S. from Nato unless member nations boosted their defense spending, which did lead to increased contributions.
In a campaign message titled “Preventing World War Three,” he also discussed the necessity of continuing efforts started during his presidency to reassess Nato’s role and mission.
President Joe Biden’s peace policy had been to let Kyiv run the peace process and arm the country as it sought to take back its land.
Zelensky had formulated his own peace plan that sought to defeat Ukraine and negotiate Russia from a position of strength.
Trump’s win means ‘high risks but higher possibilities’ for Ukraine war
The MP said Trump’s unpredictability could work in Ukraine’s favour because the president-elect “doesn’t want his own Afghanistan” like Biden’s withdrawal near the start of his term.
When asked if and how Trump can end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours, as he has previously claimed, the MP said:
“Yes he can, I think, but the question is what is the price and how he sees it. I don’t know.
“From a Ukrainian perspective, I think that Donald Trump is definitely higher risks, but also higher possibilities for Ukraine.
“Kamala Harris was more predictable, Donald Trump is less predictable. What he will do, and how it will end, we don’t know for the moment.
“But, Donald Trump already in his victory speech said about oil, which is very important.
“If Donald Trump drops the oil price in the world, that can have a super effect more than anything else on the war in Ukraine and on the Russian regime in general. So it’s just one example. I mean, the situation is not black and white.
“I think that Donald Trump, who is a super winner, especially now after such a victory, he doesn’t want to be a loser.
“He doesn’t want to receive his own Afghanistan like Biden received at the beginning of his term.”
APA drone blitz hit Kyiv on Wednesday night[/caption]
APTrump will push for peace in Ukraine immediately, a former official said[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
