“Creation of demilitarized zones”: The Financial Times revealed details of Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance have outlined a plan to end the war in Ukraine, proposing a model of a frozen conflict with autonomous regions on both sides of a demilitarized zone, while Ukraine remains outside NATO.

This report comes from “The Financial Times”.

Trump’s plan reexamines the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015, which aimed to secure Ukraine’s territorial integrity with autonomous regions but ultimately failed to stop hostilities in eastern Ukraine. According to a Trump advisor, this new proposal would include enforcement mechanisms and consequences for violations. However, European forces, rather than NATO or UN peacekeepers, would be responsible for monitoring the agreement.

Trump’s supporters claim that Ukraine is losing the war, making it morally right to push for a resolution. Trump believes that President Joe Biden should have engaged in dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, similar to Cold War talks between U.S. presidents and Soviet leaders. Trump also sees NATO membership for Ukraine as unfeasible in the near term.

Fred Fleitz, a former official in Trump’s first administration, suggests excluding NATO membership for Ukraine for several years to encourage Russia to negotiate. “We freeze the conflict; Ukraine doesn’t cede any territory nor renounce its territorial claims, and we negotiate with the understanding that a final agreement likely won’t be possible until Putin exits the scene,” he stated.

This approach, however, may not receive unanimous support within the Republican Party. Representative Mike Waltz, a leading Republican on national security, has proposed using the threat of an economic collapse in Russia by reducing oil and gas prices to pressure Putin into negotiations. “The President understands leverage very well, and we have enormous economic leverage over Russia. His first step would be: ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ You flood the world with cheaper, cleaner American oil and gas, driving prices down,” he said.

Saudi Arabia, an important ally of Trump during his first term, would likely disapprove of such a move.

Trump’s allies claim he could apply substantial economic pressure on Putin. They point to his success in brokering the Abraham Accords during his first term, which established diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, as proof of his negotiation skills. “He has shown that he knows how to bring both sides to the table. He did it consistently, and next up could be the Arabs and Israelis, and the Russians and Ukrainians,” said U.S. diplomat Richard Grenell.

The U.S. presidential election is scheduled for November 5, with the main contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. Recent polls show Trump leading Harris in support.