Trump’s national security team offers fresh ideas for Ukraine’s future

Members of the new team whom Donald Trump picked for national security offices in the future administration are capable of generating specific political ideas, which could allow the peace initiative for Ukraine to see successful developments, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

This opinion was expressed in an exclusive comment to Ukrinform by former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council, John Herbst.

"Trump has laid out elements of a peace plan which could serve as the basis for a sustainable peace and some of those elements are not ideal from Ukraine's point of view," the former ambassador said.

He clarified that he meant, in particular, the possibility of a territorial compromise and a 20-year moratorium on Ukraine’s NATO membership. However, other elements “could serve as the basis for a peace which enables Ukraine to survive in an economically viable way with secure borders,” Herbst believes.

According to Herbst, this applies, in particular, to proposals for arming Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression, as well as the creation of a demilitarized zone in which European troops would be deployed to significantly reduce the possibility of renewed Russian aggression.

At the same time, the ex-ambassador positively assessed the choice of nominees for key positions related to national security. Herbst referred to them as “serious national security thinkers”. According to him, this primarily concerns Mike Waltz, nominated for the position of national security adviser, General Keith Kellogg, who is to become the U.S. special representative for Ukraine and Russia, candidate for the position of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others.

They “understand that Russia is an aggressive power that considers the US its principle adversary. Therefore, his (Trump’s – ed.) team understands that Putin victory in Ukraine is dangerous,” said Herbst.

The expert expressed his belief that this team "could provide specific policy ideas under which Trump's peace initiative could prove successful".

The chief of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council also recalled that there is a prospect for the U.S. president-elect to receive the Nobel Peace Prize if the peace initiative for Ukraine proves successful. However, if settlement negotiations fail, this could have worse consequences than the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan for Biden. According to Herbst, Trump's team obviously understands this.

“This gives Trump an incentive to develop a peace plan that ensures a durable peace -- including economic security and secure borders,” Herbst concluded.