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For a brief period, the former US president gave the impression to embrace a firm stance on Ukraine. Following making statements of "severe consequences" in August should Putin carried on blocking truce talks, Trump ultimately introduced major penalties on the Russian primary oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft. This move seriously hindered Putin's capacity to support his aggression in Ukraine.

But, through his latest 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine, that was developed by US and Russian diplomats lacking Ukraine's or EU involvement, he has seemingly reverted to his Russia-friendly approach.

Benefiting Aggression

This initiative would effectively reward the Russian leader for invading Ukraine while placing Ukraine's democratic system in danger. Despite bold declarations that "The nation's independence will be confirmed", much of the proposal actually undermine that same autonomy. What represents a Kremlin dream would probably be a disaster for Ukraine.

Demonstrating his real-estate experience, Trump seems to consider the Ukrainian conflict as a mere border issue, implying giving Putin a portion of Ukrainian land will please the ruler. Yet, Putin's military campaign is not merely about controlling a destroyed swath of industrial-devastated area in Ukraine's east. Rather, it is about the nation's democratic governance – and the Russian leader's apparent goal to eliminate it so it stops acts as an enticing model for the Russia's population of the democratic government that his increasing autocracy prevents them.

Territorial Surrenders

While maintaining in status the already separated regions of these areas, the initiative would require Ukraine to give up the entire Donetsk province. Beyond benefiting the Russian Federation with territory that its forces have been unsuccessful to seize in exceeding a decade of conflict, this concession would leave Ukraine's defensive positions dangerously weakened.

The area is the place of the nation's highly-touted "defensive line", the well-established defensive positions that represent a essential obstacle to enemy progress. Trump would have Ukraine surrender these positions, leaving Putin a clear way to the capital should he eventually decide to resume the war.

Defense Reductions

Additionally, in a move that would facilitate future conflict simpler for the Russian military, the plan would mandate the nation to reduce the scale of its troops from their present large number personnel to a cap of six hundred thousand. Importantly, the plan sets no equivalent limits on Russian forces.

Seemingly as a concession to Russia's efforts to characterize Ukraine's democratically elected leadership as Nazis, Trump's plan states: "Any Nazi ideology and activities must be opposed and banned." Seemingly to underscore this point, it insists that "Ukraine will hold democratic votes in this period" of a ceasefire agreement. At the same time, Trump imposes no requirement that the Russian leader jeopardize his authoritarian rule by holding votes in Russia.

Security Assurances

Admittedly, the proposal includes the Russian Federation pledge not to "enter bordering nations" and to "incorporate in law its stance of non-aggression towards the EU and the Ukrainian people". Yet considering that the Russian leadership has breached similar accords in the past – including the 1994 Budapest memorandum, in which the Russian government pledged to respect the nation's territorial integrity in exchange for surrendering its former Soviet nuclear arsenal, and the Minsk accords, in which Russia committed to a ceasefire and a handback of occupied areas in the region to Kyiv – for what reason should we trust Putin on this occasion?

This explains the Ukrainian government has been so insistent on international security guarantees. While the initiative warns of a "strong joint defense action" in case the Russian Federation renew its invasion, and includes that "The nation will receive dependable defense commitments", the details range from fuzzy to troubling. The initiative would not only deny Ukraine alliance membership but also preclude Nato members from stationing forces on Ukraine's soil, thereby preventing the security presence, reportedly headed by the UK and France, on which Ukraine had been relying to stop Putin from restoring his reduced military, restocking, and reinvading.

International Reaction

A separate supplementary accord apparently would offer Ukraine with a Nato-style security guarantee, in which any later "major, planned, and sustained armed attack" by Russia on Ukraine "will be treated as an assault endangering the tranquility of the allied countries." This implies a military response. Yet unlike a strong national defense – the nation's primary defense against future Russian aggression – the success of the parallel accord would rely on the commitment of Western powers, including the US administration, to respond through arms to Putin's attacks, something they have {not