European troops, 800-mile buffer and NATO: Trump’s master plan for Ukraine war

The Republican, who beat his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the 2024 race to the White House, has repeatedly said that he would end the Ukraine war.

Trump reportedly also said that he would kickstart the peace talks even before assuming office in January 2025. Three of his camp’s staffers drew an outline to the Ukraine peace plan, The Telegraph reported.

Trump’s master plan for Ukraine war

• Donald Trump’s tactical plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine war might see him calling on European and British soldiers to put in place a 800-mile buffer zone between Moscow and Kyiv’s troops. Following this, the front line of the war at present would be frozen, his staffers noted.

• According to the president-elect’s staffers, Trump’s peace plan will require to Kyiv to park its NATO ambition for 20 years. In return, America will load up Ukraine’s armoury to help the country dissuade Russia from reigniting the war.
• Apart from this, the United States will only do training and provide other support. It will not make any contribution towards troops for patrolling and enforcing the buffer zone and neither will it provide financial assistance for the same. “We are not sending American men and women to uphold peace in Ukraine. And we are not paying for it. Get the Poles, Germans, British and French to do it,” the report quoted a Trump camp member as saying to The Wall Street Journal.

This comes in the backdrop of both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating Trump for his win in the 2024 US Presidential elections.

Putin on Thursday extended congratulatory greetings to the Republican and said that he was “ready” to hold discussions with him.

The Russian leader also said that he was impressed by how Trump carried himself during the Pennsylvania assassination attempt that took place during the US election campaigns. “He turned out to be a courageous person. People show who they are in extraordinary circumstances. This is where a person reveals himself. And he showed himself, in my opinion, in a very correct manner, courageously. Like a man,” Putin said in remarks to the Valdai forum in the southern city of Sochi.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy also called on Trump to congratulate him on the “impressive election victory”.

The Ukrainian President recalled that the two leaders had in depth discussed ways to put an end to “Russian aggression against Ukraine”. Appreciating Trump’s “commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach”, Zelenskyy said that this is exactly what could bring just peace in Ukraine closer. “I am hope that we will put it into action together,” he added.

Zelenskyy, while speaking at a summit of European Union Leader in Budapest, had said an illusion that just peace could be brought by showing weakness should not exist. “Peace is a reward only for the strong.”

“Since the July summit of the European Political Community in Great Britain, there has been much talk about giving in to Putin, retreating and making some concessions. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

The Ukrainian President has repeatedly emphasised that unless all Russian troops are expelled and all territory captured by Moscow — including Crimea — is returned, peace cannot be established.