“The terms of the end of the war, which the Kremlin is now ready to consider, will mean the surrender of Ukraine — Bloomberg January 20, 10:30 Share: Ukrainian defenders fire from the Gvozdyk self-propelled guns (Photo: 22 OMBr / Ground Forces / Telegram) US President-elect Donald Trump should strengthen the position of Ukraine , to convince Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that he cannot win and force him to sit down”, — write on: ua.news
Ukrainian defenders fire from Gvozdyk self-propelled guns (Photo: 22 OMBr / Ground Forces / Telegram)
US President-elect Donald Trump must strengthen Ukraine’s position in order to convince Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that he cannot win and force him to sit down at the negotiating table.
Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion writes about this on Monday, January 20, stressing that the easing of sanctions is not what will prompt Putin to peace talks.
The champion emphasizes that the year 2024 has become a serious test for Ukraine due to the collapse of the strategy developed at the initial stage of the war: the combination of motivated Ukrainian fighters with modern Western weapons.
While wondering whether this meant that Trump, who had achieved his first success in securing a cease-fire in Gaza, could easily succeed in Ukraine, a Bloomberg columnist opined that “absolutely not.”
“At least not on the terms that the Kremlin is willing to consider now. It would not be a peace treaty, which the Ukrainians want, but capitulation,” writes Champion.
In his opinion, Trump in Europe has much more leverage on the weaker side than on the strong one. The champion emphasizes that in order to end hostilities, Trump first needs to strengthen Ukraine’s position and thus convince Putin that he can only lose if he refuses a real settlement.
In practice, a strong hand means that Ukraine will be able to continue to inflict very high losses on Russia, stop its advance on the front and be sure of the support of allies, writes the Champion.
“If Trump wants things to happen quickly, the threat needs to be much more acute,” Bloomberg’s columnist points out.
The author of the publication also notes that there are some signs that the new US administration has realized this, as they have begun to adjust their expectations about the timing of a potential peace treaty.
However, as Champion points out, Trump’s team still believes that easing oil sanctions will force Putin “play fair”. And this, the Bloomberg columnist assured, is very naive.
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The best strategy would be to revive the symbiosis between the Ukrainian army and Western weapons, writes the author of the publication. And in 2025, this can be realistically achieved, considering that Ukraine has increased its own weapons production capacity, and now it needs not so much ammunition and weapons of Western production, but money for their purchase inside the country.
Now, notes Mark Champion, Ukraine has achieved success in the war using long-range missiles and drones and was able not only to push the enemy fleet out of the Black Sea, but also to destroy air defense systems, weapons depots and oil refineries on the territory of Russia.
The journalist is convinced that the presence of a sufficient number of well-equipped fighters in Ukraine and the return of the initiative to the battlefield will be of decisive importance in order to force the Kremlin to negotiate a real peace settlement.
Preparation for potential negotiations on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine
On December 4, 2024, the WSJ reported that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, is negotiating with the new Trump administration to reduce differences over a peaceful settlement of the Russian war against Ukraine even before he takes office.
According to the publication, Trump’s advisers discussed peace plans that recognize Russia’s occupation of 20% of Ukraine’s territory, but they do not include Ukraine joining NATO.
On January 12, 2025, The Hill reported that it is difficult for Russia to develop its space program due to sanctions and other bans, but Donald Trump may offer US help in exchange for signing a peace agreement with Ukraine.
On January 15, the Bloomberg agency listed the demands that Putin will make during the negotiations with Trump.
Interlocutors of the agency, “aware of the Kremlin’s intentions”, said that the Russian dictator Putin is increasingly confident of his superiority on the battlefield. Against this background, he intends to achieve his goal of preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and limiting its military potential.
The Telegraph, for its part, reported that Kyiv warned Trump’s team that forcing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia before the armed forces seize the initiative on the battlefield would have catastrophic consequences.