““Putin did not give up his idea.” The plans of Trump, Harris and Zelensky will not stop the war in Ukraine — Bloomberg October 18, 09:00 Share: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, February 2024 (Photo: REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay) Candidates for US presidents from the Republican and Democratic parties do not agree on negotiations with Russian dictator Putin regarding”, — write on: ua.news
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and US Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, February 2024 (Photo: REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)
Candidates for the presidency of the USA from the Republican and Democratic parties do not have a single opinion regarding the negotiations with the Russian dictator Putin regarding Ukraine.
This is what Bloomberg Opinion columnist and professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Gal Brands writes in his column for Bloomberg, analyzing the plans of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to settle the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine.
As the author of the publication notes, the plan for the victory of Ukraine, presented by President Zelenskyi, did not receive much support from the United States. And as Ukraine’s prospects worsen, pressure is mounting in Washington for a negotiated settlement of the war.
“The problem is that no one has figured out how to turn a deteriorating battlefield into a decent peace,” says Hal Brands.
According to the professor, Trump’s plan is to bring Putin and Zelensky together by threatening them with consequences if the war is not stopped. Thus, it can be assumed that the main idea of the Republican plan is to ensure peace at any price. However, the author of the column emphasizes, if the agreements are signed, the ceasefire will not last a minute longer than Putin wishes.
In turn, Democrats support a different approach. According to the author of the column, the US will continue to help Ukraine, hoping to eventually make the price of Russian offensives prohibitive. Yes, Washington can strengthen sanctions, and Kamala Harris, in the event of winning the US presidential elections, can request another aid package for Ukraine, which will demonstrate to Putin that he will not defeat the West and help Kyiv recover. At least, before the threat of a new offensive.
However, the professor emphasizes, there is a weakness in this approach: if the current US support for Ukraine does not force Putin to surrender, then a strategy of essentially more of the same may not work. In addition, the Ukrainian army “may bleed sooner than Putin’s army.”
The author of the publication emphasizes that the problem lies in the same contradiction — Washington wants Ukraine to win, but at the same time seeks to limit its participation in it.
Speaking about the risks of the peace agreement, Gel Brands also expressed confidence that no settlement will be durable if the West does not provide Ukraine with long-term security guarantees and assistance.
According to him, Putin has not given up the idea of making Ukraine a Russian satrapy, so it is necessary to convince him that the renewal of the conflict is a bad idea.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plan
On October 16, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented in the Verkhovna Rada the details of the victory plan, which had already been presented to foreign partners. It consists of five points and three secret appendices and includes:
— Ukraine’s invitation to NATO;
— strengthening of defense;
— containment of the Russian Federation;
— strategic economic potential;
post-war point — the replacement of individual military contingents of the US Army in Europe by Ukrainian units.
According to the president, if the plan is implemented, the war in Ukraine can be ended by the end of 2025.
