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Initially, the former US president gave the impression to adopt a firm position on the Ukrainian conflict. Following delivering warnings of "serious consequences" during the summer should Vladimir Putin continued obstructing ceasefire negotiations, he eventually introduced considerable sanctions on Russia's primary oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. This decision seriously impacted Putin's ability to finance his aggression in the region.

Yet, through his latest 28-point peace initiative for Ukraine, reportedly developed by both nations' representatives lacking Ukraine's or European participation, the former president has clearly returned to his favorable to Russia approach.

Rewarding Military Action

The former president's proposal would in practice benefit Putin for invading a sovereign nation while placing the country's democracy in danger. Although bold proclamations that "The nation's independence will be upheld", much of the proposal actually weaken that same independence. Seen as a Russian ideal would probably be a disaster for Ukraine.

Showing his real-estate background, the former president continues to view the war as a basic land disagreement, like giving Putin a portion of Ukraine's territory will satisfy the president. However, Putin's war is not simply about controlling a damaged region of deindustrialized territory in the Donbas region. It is about Ukraine's democracy – and Putin's obvious intention to weaken it so it stops functions as an appealing standard for the Russian citizens of the accountable leadership that Putin's growing authoritarian rule denies them.

Territorial Surrenders

While keeping in status the already divided Ukrainian provinces of these areas, Trump's proposal would force Ukraine to surrender the entire Donetsk province. Aside from rewarding Russia with area that its troops have been unsuccessful to seize in exceeding a ten years of fighting, this surrender would make Ukrainian military defenses severely undermined.

Donetsk is the location of Ukraine's much-vaunted "stronghold system", the fortified military defenses that represent a key barrier to Russian advances. The proposal would have Ukraine abandon these positions, giving Putin a clear route to the capital should he subsequently opt to renew the hostilities.

Defense Restrictions

Furthermore, in a action that would enable additional fighting easier for the Russian military, Trump would require Ukraine to reduce the scale of its military from their current 800,000 to 850,000 troops to a cap of 600,000. Significantly, the initiative imposes no equivalent limits on Russia's military.

In what appears as a gesture to Russia's attempts to portray Ukraine's legitimate administration as Nazis, the plan declares: "Any radical belief system and actions must be condemned and forbidden." As if to underscore this element, it demands that "The nation will hold political contests in 100 days" of a truce. Meanwhile, Trump imposes no condition that the Russian leader jeopardize his authoritarian rule by holding democratic processes in his own country.

Protection Guarantees

To be sure, the plan makes the Russian Federation promise not to "attack other states" and to "enshrine in regulation its position of peaceful relations towards Europe and Ukraine". However taking into account that Putin has violated similar accords in the past – including the Budapest accord, in which the Russian government committed to respect the nation's borders in exchange for surrendering its historical atomic arms, and the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements, in which Russia agreed to a ceasefire and a restoration of occupied land in the region to Ukrainian control – why should anyone trust this commitment now?

For this reason Ukraine has been so determined on international defense commitments. Although the plan threatens a "decisive coordinated military response" should the Russian Federation resume its aggression, and states that "Ukraine will receive reliable defense commitments", the specifics include fuzzy to alarming. The proposal would not only deny Ukraine accession to NATO but also preclude Nato members from stationing troops on Ukrainian territory, thus precluding the peacekeeping contingent, reportedly led by European powers, on which Ukraine had been depending to deter Putin from replenishing his reduced troops, re-equipping, and reinvading.

Global Concern

A separate parallel deal apparently would offer the nation with a Nato-style protection assurance, in which any later "serious, intentional, and continuous aggression" by the Russian Federation on Ukraine "shall be regarded as an assault endangering the tranquility of the allied countries." That suggests a defense action. However different from a strong Ukraine's armed forces – Ukraine's most reliable defense against future hostilities – the effectiveness of the side agreement would depend on the dedication of Nato leaders, like Trump, to act through arms to Putin's aggression, something they have {not