Trump plans to pass Ukraine issue to the EU, says FT
An adviser to the former president has stated that the US will not participate in enforcing a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The former president is advocating for a withdrawal of the US from any responsibilities in securing peace between Moscow and Kiev, as highlighted by one of his advisers.
Donald Trump intends to leave the responsibility for any peace agreement concerning Russia and Ukraine to European nations, according to an adviser who spoke with the Financial Times. This approach is among several proposals suggested by Trump's advisers and allies, all of which propose that the US would not engage with the conflict's outcomes.
Trump has pledged to swiftly conclude the ongoing war if he regains the presidency in November. However, he has not provided many details on how he would accomplish this, other than the idea of pressuring Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to enter peace discussions, using US support for Kiev as leverage.
In the absence of a definitive peace strategy, various current and former advisers to Trump have shared their thoughts on how he might fulfill this objective.
An unnamed "long-term Trump adviser" mentioned to the Financial Times that the Republican nominee could address the conflict by "a reimagining of the failed Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015," which called for Kiev to grant a degree of autonomy to the predominantly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
This adviser added that the enforcement of this agreement would involve EU peacekeepers. “There are two things America will insist on,” he noted. “We will not have any men or women in the enforcement mechanism. We’re not paying for it. Europe is paying for it.”
Reviving the Minsk agreements could pose significant challenges. With multiple European leaders acknowledging they never intended to uphold the 2014 and 2015 accords, Moscow has expressed skepticism about the EU's capacity to act as an impartial mediator, as indicated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this month.
Additionally, Donetsk and Lugansk, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye, have become part of the Russian Federation, necessitating that any peace agreement recognizes this "territorial reality," according to the Kremlin.
Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst who worked in Trump’s White House, suggested that the US could “freeze the conflict” at the current front line and negotiate a resolution with Russia at a later time. He explained that Ukraine would maintain its territorial claims during this period, adding that this strategy relies on waiting for “Putin [to] leave the stage.”
However, Fleitz acknowledged that he does not represent Trump and is unsure of the former president’s overarching foreign policy strategies.
The most comprehensive plan has been presented by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. During a discussion with former US Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan last month, Vance proposed that the frontline could be demilitarized and reinforced to prevent further Russian invasions. In return, "Russia gets a guarantee of neutrality from Ukraine," with Germany and other EU nations covering the costs of Ukraine’s reconstruction. He criticized the current American strategy of simply "throw[ing] money at this problem, [and] hope[ing] the Ukrainians are able to achieve a military victory," calling it “stupid.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Donald Trump intends to leave the responsibility for any peace agreement concerning Russia and Ukraine to European nations, according to an adviser who spoke with the Financial Times. This approach is among several proposals suggested by Trump's advisers and allies, all of which propose that the US would not engage with the conflict's outcomes.
Trump has pledged to swiftly conclude the ongoing war if he regains the presidency in November. However, he has not provided many details on how he would accomplish this, other than the idea of pressuring Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to enter peace discussions, using US support for Kiev as leverage.
In the absence of a definitive peace strategy, various current and former advisers to Trump have shared their thoughts on how he might fulfill this objective.
An unnamed "long-term Trump adviser" mentioned to the Financial Times that the Republican nominee could address the conflict by "a reimagining of the failed Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015," which called for Kiev to grant a degree of autonomy to the predominantly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
This adviser added that the enforcement of this agreement would involve EU peacekeepers. “There are two things America will insist on,” he noted. “We will not have any men or women in the enforcement mechanism. We’re not paying for it. Europe is paying for it.”
Reviving the Minsk agreements could pose significant challenges. With multiple European leaders acknowledging they never intended to uphold the 2014 and 2015 accords, Moscow has expressed skepticism about the EU's capacity to act as an impartial mediator, as indicated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this month.
Additionally, Donetsk and Lugansk, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye, have become part of the Russian Federation, necessitating that any peace agreement recognizes this "territorial reality," according to the Kremlin.
Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst who worked in Trump’s White House, suggested that the US could “freeze the conflict” at the current front line and negotiate a resolution with Russia at a later time. He explained that Ukraine would maintain its territorial claims during this period, adding that this strategy relies on waiting for “Putin [to] leave the stage.”
However, Fleitz acknowledged that he does not represent Trump and is unsure of the former president’s overarching foreign policy strategies.
The most comprehensive plan has been presented by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. During a discussion with former US Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan last month, Vance proposed that the frontline could be demilitarized and reinforced to prevent further Russian invasions. In return, "Russia gets a guarantee of neutrality from Ukraine," with Germany and other EU nations covering the costs of Ukraine’s reconstruction. He criticized the current American strategy of simply "throw[ing] money at this problem, [and] hope[ing] the Ukrainians are able to achieve a military victory," calling it “stupid.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
