The Telegraph: Plan B For Ukraine
- 20.05.2025, 19:07
Trump could return to Biden-era policies or give the initiative to Europe.
U.S. President Donald Trump may return to the era of his predecessor Joe Biden's policies or hand over a role in resolving the war to the Europeans if Ukraine-Russia talks fail.
An article for The Telegraph writes international columnist Daniel DePetris, summarizing the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on May 19.
The author of the publication emphasizes that this conversation could not lead to a diplomatic breakthrough, given the positions of the aggressor country Russia and Ukraine. He also pointed out that Trump seems increasingly frustrated by the failures of his efforts in the peace process, but is not about to admit that peace talks have stalled.
There were hopes that the US president would issue an ultimatum to Moscow, threatening powerful new sanctions, but "Trump has shown hesitancy to do anything with Putin that could rock the diplomatic boat."
Trump still wants a peace agreement, while Putin has a veto over the whole process, DePetris writes.
Analyzing a possible development, the journalist wonders if Trump has a Plan B for Ukraine if the Kiev-Moscow talks fail. If the answer is "no", the journalist argues, the US president's team had better come up with one.
At the same time, according to the author of the article, there are few options. The US president could return to the Joe Biden era policy, which combined arms supplies to Ukraine, increased sanctions against Russia and its diplomatic isolation in an attempt to strengthen Kiev's negotiating position. Or Trump could withdraw from the negotiation process, accusing one or both sides of intransigence, and hand the initiative to Europe.
The first option would be popular in the West but would be a recipe for a new war, says Daniel DePetris. The second option would elicit cries of righteous indignation.
"But it is still more morally justified than imposing [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky on a peace agreement he does not support," the author of the article summarizes.