Trump's 'settlement' may include Russia's control over 20% of Ukraine's territory - John Herbst
John Herbst, American diplomat, former US Ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2005)
Donald Trump has a clear idea of what negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine war should achieve. He is talking about a possible settlement based on the principle that Moscow controls 20% of Ukraine's territory, while Kyiv controls the rest, and there is a demilitarized zone, according to John Herbst, an American diplomat, former US Ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2005), and CEO of the Atlantic Council of Eurasia.
In his speech at the fifth Kyiv Jewish Forum in Washington, D.C., Herbst says that there are things in Trump's expectations from the negotiations that are welcomed neither in Ukraine nor in the Kremlin.
“We've seen some hesitation in Kyiv to the ideas that Trump has outlined. And we've seen some hesitation in Moscow to the same ideas. We have this detailed report in The Washington Post about what Trump told Putin during their phone conversation. First, the Kremlin denied the content of that conversation. Now Peskov is denying that there was a conversation at all. That tells me that the Russians are not too happy with this. That's something which should give Ukrainians some measure of assurance about what Trump is up to,” Herbst said.
In his opinion, Ukraine should have bilateral security guarantees that would guarantee a stable peace.
“If there were European troops, NATO member troops on Ukraine's territory in between Russians and Ukrainian forces, that would make it very hard for Putin to do now what he did under the Minsk Accords. At the same time, if you arm Ukraine far more than we've armed Ukraine today, it will also make the Russians think twice about breaking any peace.”
It is critical for American interests that Putin loses the war in Ukraine, the former US Ambassador to Ukraine emphasized.
“Trump considers himself a very strong man and a very good negotiator. Imposing an unjust peace, an unstable peace on the weaker party is not what a strong man does. He understands very well how disastrous for Biden the withdrawal from Afghanistan was. And the imposed peace on Ukraine, which leads Putin to take Ukraine, would be seen as a far greater disaster for American policy. I think that would work for Ukraine's advantage and, of course, for America's advantage,” Herbst concluded.
This year's Kyiv Jewish Forum, organized by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and a leading Israeli media outlet The Jerusalem Post, is dedicated to the confrontation between Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
KJF-2024 opened with a speech by Boris Lozhkin, President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress. He reminded that during the previous term of Donald Trump, Ukraine began to receive more military support, which subsequently helped to counter Russian aggression.
