Against the background of growing international tension and the long-term conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Donald Trump's advisers are proposing a new approach to the relevant situation. It is about the possibility of freezing the war, which includes a number of political and territorial concessions, in particular, Ukraine's temporary withdrawal from NATO membership and the creation of a demilitarized zone along the front line.
The Wall Street Journal writes about this with reference to sources close to the elected president.
Trump's foreign policy advisers offer him different solutions regarding Ukraine. But all of them are associated with a sharp departure from the concept of support "as much as needed" and allowing Kyiv to dictate when to start peace talks.
Trump has yet to approve a concrete peace plan, and different factions will vie for influence over his foreign policy. But the elected president himself "seeks to end the war as soon as possible, even if it means forcing Kyiv to make significant concessions."
The republican's advisers "unanimously" recommend freezing the conflict, leaving Russia with approximately 20% of the territory of Ukraine and "temporarily suspending" Kyiv's attempts to join NATO.
According to one of the ideas, Kyiv promises not to join NATO for at least 20 years. In exchange for this, the US will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.
It is also proposed to establish a demilitarized zone with a length of 800 miles (1287 kilometers) between the troops of Ukraine and the Russian Federation after the freeze on the front line. It is still unclear who will control it. Options for the introduction of peacekeeping forces without the participation of US troops and any structures financed by them, including the UN, are being discussed.
The publication reminds that the idea of a demilitarized zone was previously advocated by the future vice president of Trump JD Vance.
At the same time, the main burden of Kyiv's military supplies is shifting to Europe.
"We can conduct training and provide other support, but the barrel of the weapon will be European... We are not sending American men and women to maintain peace in Ukraine. And we don't pay for it. Let the Poles, the Germans, the British and the French do it," said one member of Trump's team.
