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For a brief period, Trump appeared to adopt a strong position concerning the Ukrainian conflict. Following issuing statements of "serious ramifications" in August should Russia's president carried on hindering truce negotiations, Trump eventually imposed considerable sanctions on the Russian biggest petroleum corporations, Rosneft and Lukoil. This decision substantially affected Putin's ability to fund his war effort in the region.

However, through his latest 28-point peace proposal for the conflict, reportedly developed by US and Russian representatives lacking Ukraine's or European input, he has clearly returned to his pro-Putin position.

Favoring Invasion

This plan would in practice favor Putin for invading a sovereign nation while leaving Ukraine's democratic system in jeopardy. Despite strong proclamations that "The nation's independence will be upheld", significant aspects of the proposal actually compromise that essential sovereignty. This constitutes a Kremlin dream would likely be a catastrophe for the nation.

Reflecting his corporate background, the former president continues to view the situation in Ukraine as a basic land disagreement, as if giving Putin a part of Ukraine's soil will please the president. Yet, Putin's military campaign is not simply about controlling a charred region of economically weakened land in Ukraine's east. Instead, it's about the nation's democratic governance – and Putin's clear goal to destroy it so it ceases to acts as an appealing model for the Russian citizens of the democratic leadership that his increasing autocracy denies them.

Border Giveaways

While maintaining in place the currently separated regions of these areas, the proposal would compel the nation to abandon the whole Donetsk province. Beyond benefiting the Russian Federation with territory that its troops have been unable to seize in exceeding a ten years of conflict, this concession would make Ukraine's defensive positions severely compromised.

The area is the place of the nation's highly-touted "defensive line", the entrenched defensive positions that are a critical impediment to Russian advances. Trump would have the Ukrainian military leave these positions, leaving Putin a clear way to the capital in case he subsequently decide to resume the war.

Military Reductions

Additionally, in a move that would enable additional fighting easier for the Russian military, the plan would require the nation to reduce the size of its armed forces from their current approximately 800,000 personnel to a maximum of this lower number. Significantly, the proposal sets no such restrictions on the invading army.

Apparently as a accommodation to Putin's campaign to characterize Ukraine's chosen by the people administration as radicals, Trump's proposal asserts: "All extremist doctrine and actions must be condemned and banned." Seemingly to highlight this aspect, it demands that "The nation will hold elections in 100 days" of a ceasefire agreement. However, the proposal sets no obligation that Putin risk his regime by conducting democratic processes in Russia.

Defense Assurances

Certainly, the initiative has Russia promise not to "attack neighboring countries" and to "incorporate in law its stance of non-aggression towards Europe and the Ukrainian people". Yet considering that the Russian leadership has breached comparable treaties in the history – such as the Budapest accord, in which Russia committed to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity in return for relinquishing its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal, and the previous peace deals, in which Russia committed to a truce and a return of seized areas in the region to Ukrainian control – why should anyone trust this commitment this time?

That is why the Ukrainian government has been so adamant on international security guarantees. While the proposal threatens a "decisive joint military response" in case the Russian Federation resume its invasion, and states that "Ukraine will receive dependable protection assurances", the details vary from fuzzy to troubling. The proposal would not just deny Ukraine accession to NATO but also preclude alliance nations from positioning military personnel on the nation's land, thereby precluding the security presence, likely led by the UK and France, on which the Ukrainian government had been relying to stop Russia from rebuilding his diminished troops, rearming, and resuming aggression.

Global Concern

An additional supplementary accord apparently would grant the nation with a alliance-like defense commitment, in which any later "significant, planned, and sustained military assault" by Russia on Ukraine "will be treated as an assault jeopardizing the peace and security of the transatlantic community." That suggests a military response. However in contrast to a powerful Ukrainian military – Ukraine's primary protection against renewed hostilities – the credibility of the side agreement would depend on the willingness of alliance members, like the US administration, to act through arms to Russia's attacks, a response they have {not