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At first, the former US president appeared to take a firm stance concerning Ukraine. After making threats of "severe repercussions" during the summer if Russia's president continued hindering ceasefire talks, the former president finally enacted major penalties on Russia's primary petroleum corporations, Lukoil and Rosneft. This decision substantially hindered Putin's ability to finance his military invasion in the region.

But, with his latest 28-point peace plan for the conflict, reportedly developed by US and Russian diplomats without Ukraine's or EU involvement, Trump has seemingly gone back to his pro-Putin stance.

Favoring Invasion

Trump's plan would in practice favor Putin for invading a sovereign nation while leaving the country's political freedom in danger. Although ringing declarations that "Ukraine's autonomy will be confirmed", much of the initiative effectively compromise that same autonomy. What represents a Russian ideal would likely be a catastrophe for the nation.

Showing his corporate past, the former president continues to treat the situation in Ukraine as a mere land disagreement, implying handing Russia a part of Ukrainian soil will satisfy the ruler. However, Putin's war is not merely about occupying a damaged area of deindustrialized area in Ukraine's east. Instead, it's about Ukraine's political system – and Putin's apparent goal to eliminate it so it no longer functions as an enticing example for the Russian citizens of the accountable leadership that his deepening autocracy prevents them.

Land Surrenders

While keeping in position the currently split oblasts of these areas, the proposal would force the nation to surrender all of Donetsk region. Aside from favoring Russia with land that its forces have been unsuccessful to occupy in more than a ten years of warfare, this giveaway would make Ukrainian military defenses dangerously weakened.

The area is the site of the nation's highly-touted "fortress belt", the well-established protective structures that are a essential barrier to enemy progress. Trump would have the Ukrainian military surrender these fortifications, giving Russian forces a unobstructed path to the capital if he later decide to resume the hostilities.

Military Reductions

Additionally, in a move that would make future fighting more feasible for the Russian military, Trump would mandate Ukraine to reduce the scale of its troops from their current large number troops to a maximum of 600,000. Significantly, the plan places no such limits on Russia's military.

In what appears as a accommodation to Russia's efforts to portray the nation's democratically elected leadership as extremists, the plan declares: "Any extremist doctrine and activities must be opposed and forbidden." Apparently to highlight this point, it insists that "The nation will hold political contests in three months" of a ceasefire agreement. However, Trump places no obligation that the Russian leader endanger his dictatorship by conducting elections in Russia.

Security Commitments

Admittedly, the proposal has Russia pledge not to "enter other states" and to "enshrine in legislation its stance of non-violence towards European nations and Ukraine". Yet given that Putin has violated similar agreements in the history – for example the Budapest accord, in which Russia promised to respect the nation's territorial integrity in exchange for giving up its historical nuclear arsenal, and the Minsk accords, in which Russia committed to a halt in fighting and a return of seized territory in the Donbas to Ukrainian control – why should we have confidence in Putin now?

For this reason Ukraine has been so insistent on international protection assurances. Although the initiative threatens a "decisive unified armed reaction" should the Russian Federation resume its aggression, and states that "Ukraine will receive strong defense commitments", the particulars include fuzzy to alarming. The plan would not only prevent Ukraine Nato membership but also preclude alliance nations from positioning forces on Ukraine's soil, thus preventing the security presence, likely headed by the UK and France, on which Ukraine had been relying to prevent Putin from replenishing his reduced military, rearming, and reinvading.

Global Concern

A separate parallel deal according to sources would offer the nation with a alliance-like security guarantee, in which any future "major, intentional, and continuous military assault" by the Russian Federation on the country "shall be regarded as an attack jeopardizing the tranquility of the allied countries." This indicates a armed reaction. However unlike a strong Ukraine's armed forces – Ukraine's best deterrent against future Russian aggression – the credibility of the supplementary deal would depend on the dedication of Western powers, like Trump, to act with force to Putin's hostilities, a response they have {not