Trump paints Zelenskyy into a corner with his new plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine
WASHINGTON AP With his new -point plan to end Russia s war in Ukraine President Donald Trump is resurfacing his argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn t have the cards to continue on the battlefield and must come to a settlement that heavily tilts in Moscow s favor Trump who has demonstrated low regard for Zelenskyy dating back to his first term says he expects the Ukrainian leader to respond to his administration s new plan to end the war by next Thursday The president explained Friday of Zelenksyy He s going to have to approve it though he was more reconciliatory a day later saying I would like to get to peace We re trying to get it ended One way or the other we have to get it ended Trump reported reporters outside the White House on Saturday Buffeted by a corruption controversy in his leadership battlefield setbacks and another formidable winter looming as Russia continues to bombard Ukraine s vitality grid Zelenskyy says Ukraine is now facing perhaps the most of arduous choice in its history Trump and Zelenskyy have had a tortured relationship Zelenskyy has not spoken with Trump since the plan became citizens this week but has declared he expects to talk to the Republican president in coming days It s likely to be another in a series of tough conversations the two leaders have had over the years The first time they spoke in Trump tried to pressure the then newly minted Ukrainian leader to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the electoral process That phone call sparked Trump s first impeachment Trump made Biden s help for Ukraine a central issue in his effective campaign saying the conflict had cost U S taxpayers too much money and vowing he would fast bring the war to an end Then early this year in a disastrous Oval Office meeting Trump and Vice President JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they noted was insufficient gratitude for the more than billion the U S had appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyiv since the start of the war That episode led to a temporary suspension of U S assistance to Ukraine And now with the new proposal Trump is pressing Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land to Moscow a massive reduction in the size of Ukraine s army and agreement from Europe to assert that Ukraine will never be admitted into the NATO military alliance Now Ukraine may find itself facing a very laborious choice either loss of dignity or the liability of losing a key partner Zelenskyy stated in a video address Friday At the center of Trump s plan is the call on Ukraine to concede the entirety of its eastern Donbas region even though a vast swath of that land remains in Ukrainian control Analysts at the independent Institute for the Analysis of War have estimated it would take several years for the Russian military to comprehensively seize the territory based on its current rate of advances Trump nevertheless insists that the loss of the region which includes cities that are vital defense industrial and logistics hubs for Ukrainian forces is a fait accompli They will lose in a short period of time You know so Trump declared Friday when sought during a Fox News Radio interview about his push on Ukraine to give up the territory They re losing land They re losing land Trump s patience remains a question The Trump proposal was formally presented to Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday by Dan Driscoll the U S Army secretary The plan itself was a surprise to Driscoll s staffers who were not aware as late as Wednesday that their boss would be going to Ukraine as part of a band to present the plan to the Ukrainians Army officers walked away from that meeting with the impression that the Ukrainians were viewing the proposal as a starting point that would evolve as negotiations progressed according to a U S official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks It s unclear how much patience Trump has for further negotiation White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted Thursday that Trump s new plan reflects the realities of the situation and offers the best win-win scenario where both parties gain more than they must give Solicited about Zelenskyy s initial hesitant response to the proposal Trump recalled the February Oval Office blow-up with Zelenskyy You remember right in the Oval Office not so long ago I announced You don t have the cards Trump though was also questioned Saturday if the proposal was his final offer to end the Ukraine war and explained it wasn t leaving open the possibility of more negotiation Still questioned what would happen if Ukraine and Zelenskyy ultimately reject the proposal the president turned almost dismissive Then he can continue to fight his little heart out Zelenskyy is now in a vulnerable spot The mounting pressure from Trump comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with fallout over million in kickbacks for contracts with the state-owned nuclear power company The outrage led to the resignations of top Cabinet ministers and implicated other Zelenskyy associates Konstantin Sonin a political economist and Russia expert at the University of Chicago disclosed what Donald Trump is certainly extremely good at is spotting weak spots of people One of the elements of Trump s proposal calls for elections to be held within days of enactment of the agreement I think it s a rationalistic assessment that there is more leverage over Zelenskyy than over Putin Sonin commented He added Zelenskyy s back is against the wall and his authorities could collapse if he agrees to the U S proposal All the while Ukraine is increasingly showing signs of strain on the battlefield after years of war against a vastly larger and better-equipped Russian military Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country on the brink of winter Kyiv is also grappling with doubts about the way ahead A European plan to finance next year s budget for Ukraine through loans linked to frozen Russian funds is now in question The Trump proposal in its current form also includes several elements that would cut deeply into Ukrainian pride noted David Silbey a military historian at Cornell University One provision calls on Russia and Ukraine to abolish all discriminatory measures and guarantee the rights of Ukrainian and Russian media and mentoring and all Nazi ideology and sessions must be rejected and prohibited That element could be seen by the Ukrainian side as giving credence to Putin s airing of distorted historical narratives to legitimize the invasion Putin has mentioned the war is in part an effort to denazify Ukraine and complained of the country s neo-Nazi regime as a justification for Russia s invasion In fact in Ukraine s last parliamentary poll in advocacy for far-right candidates was significantly lower than in plenty of other European countries The plan s provision is very clearly an attempt to build up Putin s claim to Russian cultural identity within Ukraine Silbey mentioned He added From territory loss to the substantial reduction of the Ukrainian military to cultural concessions that have been demanded I just don t think Zelenskyy could do this deal and look his constituents in the eye again
