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At first, the former US president seemed to adopt a strong stance on Ukraine. After delivering statements of "significant ramifications" last August in case Russia's president carried on hindering truce talks, he eventually imposed considerable sanctions on Russia's two largest petroleum corporations, Rosneft and Lukoil. This move substantially hindered Putin's capacity to support his war effort in the region.

But, via his recently unveiled comprehensive peace proposal for the conflict, which was developed by American and Russian officials without Ukraine's or EU participation, Trump has seemingly gone back to his favorable to Russia stance.

Benefiting Military Action

Trump's initiative would effectively reward the Russian leader for attacking a sovereign nation while leaving the country's political freedom in peril. Despite strong declarations that "Ukraine's sovereignty will be confirmed", significant aspects of the initiative actually compromise that essential independence. Seen as a Russian ideal would probably be a Ukrainian nightmare.

Showing his business experience, Trump persists to view the situation in Ukraine as a simple border issue, as if ceding Putin a portion of Ukraine's land will please the ruler. But, Putin's war is not only about dominating a destroyed region of deindustrialized land in Ukraine's east. It is about Ukraine's democracy – and Putin's apparent intention to eliminate it so it ceases to acts as an enticing model for the Russian people of the responsible government that his deepening dictatorship withholds them.

Land Surrenders

While maintaining in status the currently divided regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Trump's initiative would compel Ukraine to surrender all of Donetsk region. In addition to benefiting the Russian Federation with territory that its military have been failed to capture in over a lengthy period of conflict, this concession would make Ukraine's military defenses dangerously undermined.

Donetsk is the site of the nation's well-known "stronghold system", the well-established protective structures that represent a critical obstacle to Russian advances. Trump would have the Ukrainian military surrender these defenses, giving Russian forces a unobstructed route to the capital in case he later choose to resume the war.

Armed Forces Restrictions

Then, in a move that would facilitate future conflict easier for Russia, the plan would force the nation to cut the size of its armed forces from their current approximately 800,000 personnel to a cap of six hundred thousand. Notably, Trump's proposal sets no such constraints on Russia's military.

Apparently as a accommodation to Putin's campaign to portray the nation's democratically elected leadership as Nazis, Trump's proposal asserts: "Every Nazi belief system and practices must be opposed and banned." As if to underscore this aspect, it insists that "The nation will hold democratic votes in 100 days" of a peace deal. However, the proposal imposes no obligation that Putin risk his regime by allowing votes in his own country.

Protection Commitments

Certainly, the initiative includes Russia pledge not to "invade neighboring countries" and to "incorporate in regulation its policy of non-aggression towards Europe and Ukraine". Yet taking into account that the Russian leadership has violated comparable treaties in the previous instances – including the 1994 Budapest memorandum, in which the Russian government pledged to recognize the nation's borders in exchange for relinquishing its historical atomic arms, and the Minsk accords, in which Moscow committed to a ceasefire and a restoration of captured land in the Donbas to the government – how should anyone trust this commitment on this occasion?

That is why the Ukrainian government has been so determined on western defense commitments. Although the initiative threatens a "immediate joint defense action" should the Russian Federation resume its aggression, and includes that "Ukraine will receive strong protection assurances", the details vary from fuzzy to alarming. The initiative would not only deny the nation accession to NATO but also prevent member states from positioning forces on Ukraine's soil, thus preventing the peacekeeping contingent, reportedly commanded by European powers, on which the Ukrainian government had been relying to prevent Putin from replenishing his weakened troops, restocking, and attacking again.

International Concern

Another parallel deal according to sources would provide Ukraine with a alliance-like security guarantee, in which any subsequent "significant, planned, and continuous military assault" by the Russian Federation on the country "will be treated as an attack endangering the stability and safety of the Western nations." This indicates a defense action. Yet in contrast to a capable national defense – Ukraine's best deterrent against renewed hostilities – the success of the supplementary deal would depend on the willingness of Western powers, including the US administration, to respond militarily to Russia's attacks, a response they have {not