As Trump can force Zelensky and Putin to peace talks - Sky News
This week, the US President called the conflict "terrible" and "disgusting" and expressed his intention to achieve progress in the direction of peace. Kiev fears that Trump will reduce military assistance to Ukraine to push the country to negotiate. But the former US ambassador to the Russian Federation, Michael McFol, says that the best way to start negotiations is to send more weapons to Ukraine.
McFol noted that Trump should accelerate military assistance that has already been approved and then provided even more weapons to stop Russia's current offensive in eastern Ukraine. According to him, in this case, there will be a Patova situation on the battlefield, which can be the impetus for negotiations with Moscow.
"Putin will only negotiate when Russian armed forces can no longer capture significant Ukrainian territories, or even better, although less likely, when Russian soldiers start losing their positions," he wrote in the article for Foreign Affairs. According to the diplomat, to start serious negotiations, Putin must first believe that the US will not throw Ukraine. McFol believes that Trump should also persuade Vladimir Zelensky to stop fighting, which is a "significant problem.
" A recent survey showed that 88% of Ukrainians still believe that Ukraine wins war. The proposal to join NATO for unknown parts of Ukraine will help to compensate for a "bitter concession", since in this case, "a giant piece of country will remain under Russian occupation. " "This is the only map that Trump can play to persuade Ukrainians to stop fighting," the diplomat said.