US President-elect Donald Trump will struggle to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine, says former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Mr. Trump wants to end the war quickly, but it’s unclear how he’ll convince Russia to talk. Some reports suggest that Mr. Trump might consider a peace deal that compromises Ukraine’s territorial integrity. This has raised concerns among allies about future US support for Ukraine.
According to Mr. Kuleba, “fundamental differences” between Russia and Ukraine make peace impossible. He said: “In my view, there will be no quick negotiations.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded NATO membership as the price for peace. But Mr. Kuleba thinks the Alliance might not offer Ukraine full membership for 10-20 years. He believes this would be rejected by Ukraine, which would remain vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Mr. Kuleba also criticized the idea of deploying British and French peacekeepers along the front line while Ukraine awaits NATO membership. He said: “The estimate for the peacekeeping mission is 40,000 troops. Try to stretch 40,000 troops along a 1,500km front line. It will be a very thin red line.”
Mr. Kuleba does not think Mr. Trump will follow through on his threat to stop military aid to Ukraine. He believes that if Russian troops once again pose a threat to Kyiv, Mr. Trump would have to change his stance.
The former Ukrainian foreign minister also said that European politicians are too afraid of their voters to increase defense spending. However, he noted that the UK, Germany, and France will continue to provide military aid “because they know that if Ukraine falls the war will come to their land.”
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