Trump has no clear strategy for Ukraine: Europe has its own understanding of the rejection of "peace in 24 hours"
The British newspaper The Financial Times claims that Donald Trump is postponing the deadline for resolving the military conflict in Ukraine "as a sign of support for Kiev."
This is how the newspaper interpreted his recent words about six months to end the conflict after his previous promise to resolve it within “24 hours” of taking office.
“US President-elect Donald Trump has changed his campaign promise to end the military conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours” to several months, which European partners have taken as a sign that his administration will not abandon its immediate support for Kyiv,” the publication says.
Two European officials told the Financial Times that discussions with Trump's team in recent weeks had revealed that they had not yet decided how to end the conflict and that support for Ukraine would continue after the US president's inauguration on January 20.
“The whole Trump team is obsessed with power and looking strong, so they are rethinking their approach to Ukraine,” one official said. The new administration is also wary of comparisons to Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, something the Trump camp would not want to see repeated in Ukraine, the official added.
Earlier this week, Trump said “six months” was a more realistic goal for ending the military standoff. The day before, Keith Kellogg, the new special envoy for the war in Ukraine, told Fox News that his goal was to end the conflict in “100 days.”
“I would like to set a goal on a personal and professional level — I would set it for 100 days and start the countdown,” Kellogg told Fox News when asked about the Ukraine peace deal.
"And find a way to do that in the short term to make sure that the solution is durable, sustainable and that this war ends so that we stop the carnage," he added.
European leaders and officials are arguing to Trump and his team that continued US military aid is needed to put Kyiv in a stronger position for peace talks and help bring Moscow to the negotiating table, the newspaper writes.
Last month, French officials said Ukraine's strengthening of its position on the battlefield meant an end to Russia's advance in the east of the country, saying talks would not take place if Moscow continued to occupy new territory.
"Washington's continued military support is critical to Ukraine's defense, even as European countries also provide weapons and significant financial aid to Kyiv," the article says.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort last week, ruled out the possibility of Washington "abandoning" Ukraine.
She added that Trump has proven he can combine diplomacy and containment. “On peace, Trump may be the one who moves forward on a solution, but I don’t think that means giving up on Ukraine,” Meloni said.
Meloni also said Ukraine must receive concrete security guarantees as part of any potential diplomatic deal to end the active conflict.
"Security guarantees are fundamental if we really want peace in Ukraine," she said. "We all know that in the past, Russia has violated the agreements it signed. Without security guarantees, we cannot be sure that this will not happen again," the Italian Prime Minister concluded.
The publication recalls that Volodymyr Zelensky tried to convince Washington and other NATO allies to enshrine these security guarantees in specific terms for his country's accession to the US-led defense alliance.
However, both Biden and Trump have shown reluctance to endorse such a move, as have some European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, has proposed sending European troops to Ukraine to ensure Russia does not attack again – an idea that also does not enjoy unanimous support in Europe.
Western officials, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, are keen to stress the importance of Trump delivering “peace through strength” in Ukraine and avoiding a defeat in Kyiv that would strengthen Putin and his allies in China, Iran and North Korea.
"We cannot have a situation where Kim Jong-un and the Russian leader, and Xi Jinping and Iran, are happy with each other because we have reached an agreement that does not suit Ukraine, because in the long term this will pose a serious security threat not only to Europe but also to the US," Rutte told the FT last month.
Trump has no clear strategy for Ukraine : Europe has its own interpretation of the rejection of "peace in 24 hours"