Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, has announced that he is coordinating a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. This move is seen as Trump actively driving peace negotiations with his typical “top-down” diplomacy, especially given his emphasis on the early end to the Ukraine war.
According to Reuters, Trump expressed in a statement prior to a meeting with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, that “Putin wants to meet, and we are preparing for that meeting.” However, Reuters noted that no specific details regarding the schedule were provided.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has emphasized ending the Ukraine war, even asserting that he could end the conflict within 24 hours upon taking office. This claim is based on the belief that the U.S. is unnecessarily wasting funds by supporting Ukraine.
Last month in Paris, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky through a three-way meeting format with French President Emmanuel Macron to review the situation. Since winning the election last November, Trump has expressed his willingness to have direct conversations with President Putin.
Trump also mentioned in a press conference on the 16th of last month that both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are being sacrificed on a massive scale due to the war. This sentiment was reinforced when Putin stated on the 19th of the same month that he was ready to meet with Trump anytime. Trump emphasized his desire to meet with Putin as soon as possible to discuss the end of the war.
Despite showing strong mediation intentions, Trump has not publicly disclosed specific plans for ending the war. However, discussions among his close aides have included the possibility of postponing Ukraine’s NATO membership and freezing the current front lines.
Reports suggest that Trump wishes for European forces to remain stationed in Ukraine post-war to monitor the ceasefire. Based on these indications, the primary issue in the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations seems to be the handling of the occupied territories.
Currently, Russia occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine controls parts of Russia’s western Kursk Oblast. Other anticipated discussion topics include the border demarcation, Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, and measures to prevent further Russian aggression, as well as methods to implement peace agreements after negotiations.
President Zelensky recently expressed support for deploying European peacekeepers in Ukraine post-war but insisted that this step must be part of the process towards NATO membership, highlighting the necessity of Ukraine joining NATO.
Trump appears to be assessing a realistic timeline of six months for the end of the war based on his plans. In response to a question about resolving the war within six months at a press conference on the 7th, Trump stated, “I hope I have six months, or even sooner.”
This seems to indicate a slight retreat from his initial statement of ending the war immediately upon taking office, suggesting a continuation of U.S. support for Ukraine for the time being.
Keith Kellogg, who has been nominated as the Ukraine-Russia envoy for Trump’s second administration, recently proposed a ceasefire timeframe of 100 days in an interview with Fox News.