Surrender territory to Russia and save face: Trump's 'peace plan' to end Ukraine war in 24 hours

The peace plan of former US President Donald Trump to end the Ukraine War involves ceding territory to Russia so that both the sides could save face, according to a report.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Trump has repeatedly said he would end the war within 24 hours upon being elected as the US President.

So far, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any proposal that includes surrendering any Ukrainian territory to Russia. Experts have also expressed concerns about Trump’s reported ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine, with one expert calling it “terrible”.

Surrender 2 Ukrainian provinces to Russia to save face: Trump’s peace plan

Trump believes that both Ukraine and Russia are looking to save their faces and the way to do it is through the surrender of two Ukrainian provinces in lieu for the end of the war, according to The Washington Post.

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The report quoted people familiar with Trump’s plan as saying that the plan includes Ukraine ceding the Donbas and Crimea regions to Russia.

The Donbas is the eastern region of Ukraine comprising Donetsk and Luhansk provinces where much of the fighting has taken place. Crimea is another region of Ukraine that Russia invaded and annexed in 2014. The plan includes a formal surrender of Crimea.

Trump has privately said that he thinks both Russia and Ukraine “want to save face” and “want a way out” and that people in parts of Ukraine would be okay with being part of Russia, as per a person quoted in the report who is said to have discussed the matter directly with Trump.

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Last year, Trump said that he knows both Zelenskyy and Putin very well and could convince them to come to an agreement to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours. In an interview with Fox News, he said, “I know Zelenskyy very well and I know Putin very well — even better. And I had a good relationship, very good with both of them. I would tell Zelenskyy, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to. I will have the deal done in one day. One day.”

Experts not hopeful of Trump’s plan

Independent experts have not expressed optimism at such a plan. The report quoted Emma Ashford, a Senior Fellow at the think tank Stimson Center, as saying that it is “terrible deal”. She was further quoted as saying that exchanging territory for a ceasefire would put Ukraine in a worse position without assurances that Russia would not rearm and resume hostilities as it has in the past.

Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was quoted as saying that surrendering territory to Russia would be “domestic political suicide” in Ukraine and no amount of US leverage would convince Ukraine to do so.

“No amount of leverage the United States has can compel Ukraine to cede territory or engage in these types of concessions. This is a situation where if you’re willing to give a hand, the other side will very quickly want the rest of the arm,” said Kofman.

Last year, Zelenskyy rejected Trump’s plan and said that if the war’s end had to be brought by giving up territory, then such an end could have been brought within five minutes.

“If we are talking about ending the war at the cost of Ukraine, in other words to make us give up our territories, well, I think in this way Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes, but we would not agree,” said Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC News when asked about Trump’s comment of ending the war in 24 hours.