Politico: Trump Risks Breaking His Promise On Ukraine
- 25.11.2024, 9:38
There will be no quick end to the war.
New US President Donald Trump considered himself a master negotiator during his first term and sought deals with US adversaries around the world. Now, according to officials who know him, he plans to do it again by ending the wars in Israel and Ukraine.
However, as Politico notes, it will not be easy for Trump to become a peacemaker. Even in his first term, Trump failed to reach successful agreements with China, Iran, and North Korea.
“In the four years since he left the Oval Office, the world has changed, and it has changed in such a way that he will have to face a much tougher international environment than last time, which makes it unlikely that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East will end anytime soon,” the publication notes.
Trump has already faced the prospect of breaking one of his main campaign promises to end the war in Ukraine "before I become president." He later said he would do so "in 24 hours" by declaring a ceasefire and then making a deal.
However, as Politico notes, any such deal requires stable front lines, so in a phone call with Putin, Trump warned him against escalation.
"Instead, the Russian president has done the opposite: He continues to build up forces in southeastern Ukraine, apparently preparing for a new offensive, and over the past week, Putin has launched some of the largest missile strikes in Ukraine in months," the publication writes.
As Politico notes, neither Putin nor the Ukrainians are willing to make a deal with Trump. Meanwhile, there are still many supporters of Ukraine in the Republican ranks, including Trump's future Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio. If their views are taken into account, Trump may not want to start his presidency by showing weakness by simply surrendering large parts of Ukraine to Putin.
Trump also cannot count on any kind of disarmament deal with North Korea. As Politico notes, Trump had a fairly close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term. But Kim has now significantly advanced his nuclear program and struck a new military deal with Russia that makes Pyongyang less dependent on U.S. aid.
Kim is receiving food aid, money and oil from Russia — and likely military technology — that was previously only available through a deal with Washington.