Newly elected US President Donald Trump is “categorically opposed” to Ukraine firing American missiles at Russian territory.
The Joe Biden administration granted permission to Kyiv to use long-range ATACMS missiles to hit targets in Russia. The future US president spoke about this in an interview with Time magazine:
It’s crazy what’s happening. This is just crazy. I am categorically against launching missiles hundreds of kilometers deep into Russia. Why are we doing this? We are simply escalating the war and making the situation worse. This should not have been allowed.
According to the New York Times, Biden’s missile authorization was a reaction to Vladimir Putin’s involvement of North Korean soldiers in the war. For Ukraine, it was a breakthrough: with the help of ATACMS, the Ukrainian Armed Forces can disrupt the supply routes of the Russian army.
It is unclear whether Trump will revoke the permit. He was reluctant to reveal specific details of his peace plan to Time magazine because making it public would render the plan “almost useless.”
Recall that Trump was recognized as Time magazine’s Person of the Year. The politician was celebrated for his “historic return” to the presidency and awarded this title for the second time – the first time Time declared him person of the year after his victory in 2016.
Is there a Trump plan?
Trump proposed deploying European troops in Ukraine to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
The Wall Street Journal writes that the outlines of the newly elected US president’s initial efforts to end the war in Ukraine, which he laid out during his visit to Europe last week, are beginning to emerge.
The main takeaway: Europe will have to shoulder most of the burden of supporting Kyiv, providing troops to oversee the ceasefire and weapons to contain Russia.
At a meeting in Paris on December 7, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron that he did not support Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization but wanted to see a strong, well-armed Ukraine after some kind of cessation of hostilities.
Trump has said that Europe must play a major role in protecting and supporting Ukraine and that he wants European troops present in Ukraine to oversee the ceasefire. He did not rule out US support for the agreements, although American troops will not be involved.
Trump has also pushed the Europeans to do more to pressure the Chinese to press the Kremlin to end the war.
The leaders discussed the possibility of using tariffs on China as an argument if Beijing did not agree.
Any effort to end the war will face stiff headwinds, especially from Putin, who has shown no inclination to end it, which he believes he will win – even though victories for Russian troops are slow and accompanied by large losses.
For Ukraine, a ceasefire along the current front line would also be a painful step, which would mean losing control over 20% of the country’s territory for the foreseeable future.
According to his aides, Trump does not yet have a specific plan for Ukraine and did not think about this issue while preparing to take power.
Members of his transition team and close confidants develop proposals and keep him informed.
Key decisions will be made once his national security team is assembled and Trump holds further talks with allies and perhaps Putin himself.
Discussions over the stationing of European troops in Ukraine are still at an early stage, with several unresolved questions, including which European countries will be involved, the number of troops, Washington’s role in supporting the agreements and whether Russia will agree to an agreement involving troops from NATO countries.
But what began as quiet discussions between British and French officials about the possibility has expanded to include Trump, Zelensky and other European leaders.
In February, Macron floated the idea of sending European troops into Ukraine following discussions among European leaders in Paris, although he did not specify under what conditions this might be done.
The idea was rejected by Berlin and NATO at the time, but Trump’s insistence on a ceasefire has reignited discussions.
There are still many doubts about this idea. European governments are likely to be wary of a force that would force them to confront Russia’s ceasefire violations.
French officials have made it clear that the idea would need some support from the United States, and it is unclear whether the Trump administration would consider such a possibility.
It is unclear whether European countries will be able to contribute troops or receive support for participation in the operation.
First of all, the Kremlin may reject any plan that would allow troops from NATO countries to be present in Ukraine.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.