President-elect Donald Trump pledged to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the first 24 hours of his presidency — now, his team needs to put its money where its mouth is.
Since the beginning of the invasion in 2022, the United States and its allies have been content to supply Ukraine with the weaponry necessary to defend itself while withholding NATO membership and rejecting authorization for strikes deeper into Russia. The no-win-no-loss policy has been aggravating for officials seeking a meaningful end to the conflict that has killed over 1 million people.
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The Trump transition team is entertaining a variety of proposals on how to end the war quickly, approaching the issue with ideas outside the norms set by President Joe Biden’s administration. But their ideas may not be turn into offers that Ukraine is eager to take.
A universal aspect of the considered peace proposals is a freeze on military engagements, per the Wall Street Journal. Such a policy would also freeze control of occupied territories in both nations.
Russia controls approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Ukraine holds hundreds of miles in Russia’s Kursk region — a swath of land gained in a surprise August counteroffensive.
One alleged proposal would establish an 800-mile demilitarized zone between Ukraine and Russia similar to the area separating North Korea and South Korea. The plan would stall Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership for 20 years but provide a continuous influx of weapons from the West that would ensure the country’s ability to defend itself.
Such concessions would be a hard sell for the Ukrainian government, which has made clear it has no intentions of ceding territory to Russia in peace negotiations.
Zelensky unveiled a “victory plan” last month outlining his nation’s most optimistic path toward a total victory in its defensive campaign.
The plan, much of which has remained secret, hinges on permission from Western weapon suppliers to allow long-range strikes on military targets deep in Russian territory.
The lack of authorization to use missiles provided by the U.S. and European nations outside the front lines has proved to be a major stumbling block for Ukrainian defense as Russian belligerents continue to strike without hesitation on nonmilitary targets.
The Ukrainian plan would also require Ukrainian acceptance into NATO, which the international alliance has been hesitant to entertain.
“The best option is NATO,” Zelensky said, according to a translation from RBC-Ukraine. “During the war — an invitation, a completely open one, with a strong position in any diplomacy format. This invitation, in my view, does not depend on Russia’s opinion. Once certain partners are confident that they are stronger than Russia, we will see positive developments in this direction.”
Zelensky, addressing his nation’s lawmakers last month, did touch on a backdoor avenue for freezing the conflict as it stands — allowing Ukrainian and Russian territories to remain under occupation without granting legitimacy to the invading nations’ governance.
“Everyone understands that no matter what path we take, no one will legally recognize the occupied territories as belonging to other states,” he told the lawmakers.
The Ukrainian president has maintained a tense but cooperative relationship with Trump since the beginning of the conflict, meeting with him at Trump Tower in New York in the run-up to the election.
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Zelensky spoke glowingly of Trump on Wednesday following their first postelection phone call, praising his “tremendous campaign” that “made this result possible.”
“I praised his family and team for their great work,” the Ukrainian leader said via social media. “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”