Ahead of his inauguration on January 20th, the incoming US President Trump has accepted one of his Putin’s major demands to end the war in Ukraine. Trump on Wednesday indicated that Ukraine would never be made a member of the NATO alliance.
Trump went as far as saying that the war in Ukraine could have been avoided if Biden hadn’t pushed the idea of Ukraine joining NATO. Trump’s statements made one thing clear: He is going to rebuild the trust between US and Russia in the next four years of his administration. Making the NATO promise to Ukraine was a major breach of trust between Washington and Moscow.
Trump explained that Russia has long been against NATO’s presence in Ukraine, a stance that was clear even before Vladimir Putin became president. He stressed that this position has been non-negotiable for Russia. It’s a red line that US should have never breached. Despite this, Biden insisted Ukraine should have the right to join NATO, which Trump believes triggered tensions.
Trump assured Russia that he understands why Russia felt threatened by the idea of NATO expanding to its borders. “There were a lot of mistakes made,” Trump said, adding that he had predicted a war would break out due to Biden’s approach. Nonetheless, Trump will become the president after 10 days now, and his Ukraine war envoy has already prepared a 100-day plan to end the war.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, retired US Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said, “I know I’m on the clock. My goal, both personally and professionally, is to aim for a resolution within 100 days and work backward from there.”
“Trump is not looking to give in to Putin or Russia,” Kellogg explained. “Trump’s focus is on saving Ukraine and protecting its sovereignty. Any solution must be fair and balanced.”
Trump earlier expressed confidence that he could help resolve the crisis, though he confessed it would be difficult now compared to preventing it two years back. When asked how long it might take to bring peace, Trump suggested it could take up to six months after he takes office. However, he remains hopeful it could be done sooner. In the past, he claimed he could end the conflict within 24 hours but now says the crisis is more complicated.
Trump’s comments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin in December revealed details about a proposal made by Biden before the war in Ukraine began three years ago. Biden had proposed to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership during a summit in Geneva.
Putin said, “He proposed exactly this to me – to delay Ukraine’s admission into NATO by 10-15 years, because [Kiev] is not ready yet.” But Putin rubbished the idea, because for him, the timing didn’t matter. Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO is unacceptable whether it happened in a year or a decade.
As simple as that. Joe Biden couldn’t get it, owing to the lack of gray matter in his head. Had he properly understood and respected Russia’s red line, the war could have been averted. Biden’s NATO push inside Ukraine got Russia agitated. And that’s why the war erupted.
But Trump is a businessman. He knows locking horns with Russia will only exhaust American resources. Trump is brutally transactional and frankly speaking, Kyiv and its puppet leader Zelensky, have nothing to offer. They are in fact a liability for the US now.
