Ambassador warns Trump not to force Ukraine into a ‘deal for the sake of it’

 

 

Donald Trump is facing fresh warnings from seasoned diplomats and security experts not to strong-arm Ukraine into a bad peace settlement simply to claim a quick victory on the world stage.

Speaking at an Atlantic Council briefing, Daniel Fried — former US ambassador to Poland and one of Washington’s key architects of the West’s response to Russia after the 2014 annexation of Crimea — urged Trump to resist the temptation to “sign something just to sign something.” He argued that a weak framework would amount to a “strategic defeat for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the free world generally.”

 

Trump has been pressing Kyiv and Moscow to end the war, first unveiling a controversial 28-point plan shaped with Russian input, followed by a slimmed-down 19-point framework crafted in Geneva and more favourable to Ukrainian concerns. Whether the Kremlin still accepts the new version is unclear — and European allies fear Trump may try to bulldoze President Volodymyr Zelensky into concessions simply to notch a diplomatic win.

 

The ambassador drew lessons from Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban — an agreement sold as a pathway to Afghan democracy but which collapsed the moment NATO forces withdrew. Fried stressed the Ukraine conflict is different, but the underlying warning stands: rushed agreements built on wishful thinking can detonate disastrously.

 

Matthew Kroenig, vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, noted that Russia controls around 20% of Ukraine, meaning any deal — good or bad — will involve painful compromises. Even the much-criticised 28-point plan contained elements negotiators consider salvageable: commitments to Ukrainian sovereignty, EU membership, and — most critically — US-led security guarantees that function similarly to NATO protection.

 

Kroenig warned that the single greatest danger is allowing Vladimir Putin to turn Ukraine into a pliable puppet state. “Putin doesn’t respect European military power,” he said. Only an American security guarantee, even outside formal NATO membership, could prevent that outcome.

 

Reporting from Ukraine, Myroslava Gongadze said the 19-point plan remains tightly guarded amid fears of leaks. What is known is that Zelensky retains control over the most contentious issues: territorial guarantees and NATO alignment. Geneva’s purpose, she added, was not to produce a final deal but to kill off the bad 28-point proposal and replace it with something that prevents a future Russian re-invasion.

 

Despite the political chaos swirling around the talks, Fried insisted a viable and just outcome still exists. But he warned that nothing decent will be agreed unless Moscow is forced to negotiate seriously — and it remains unclear whether Trump is willing to apply the necessary pressure.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Former ambassador Daniel Fried warns Trump that a rushed, weak Ukraine deal could be a “strategic defeat for the free world.”

• Ukraine prefers the new 19-point framework, but key issues — territory and NATO alignment — remain unresolved.

• Experts say any deal must include strong US security guarantees to stop Putin turning Ukraine into a puppet state.

 

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT

 

 

 

Wait. Has Russia invaded the US when we weren't looking??? Otherwise, WTF are they involved for at all???

24 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Wait. Has Russia invaded the US when we weren't looking??? Otherwise, WTF are they involved for at all???

You don't know.................😆

They don't need to be invaded, they have a dictator as president.  First destroy the opposition, second destroy the legal system, third control the economy to benefit his backers, fourth bully other countries.  Putin, Xi, Kim, Trump.  I feel for the young people of today, the free world is not going to be so free.