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At first, the former US president seemed to adopt a resolute position concerning the Ukrainian conflict. After issuing statements of "significant repercussions" during the summer if Vladimir Putin persisted blocking truce talks, he finally introduced substantial restrictions on Russia's two largest petroleum corporations, Rosneft and Lukoil. This move significantly hindered Putin's ability to support his war effort in Ukraine.

But, via his newly presented 28-point peace plan for the conflict, reportedly created by American and Russian officials excluding Ukraine's or European input, he has clearly reverted to his favorable to Russia approach.

Favoring Aggression

This initiative would in practice benefit the Russian leader for invading a sovereign nation while putting the country's democratic system in peril. Although strong proclamations that "Ukraine's autonomy will be upheld", significant aspects of the initiative in reality undermine that essential autonomy. This constitutes a Kremlin dream would likely be a disaster for Ukraine.

Reflecting his corporate past, Trump seems to view the situation in Ukraine as a basic land disagreement, as if handing Russia a portion of Ukraine's land will appease the leader. But, Russia's military campaign is not merely about occupying a charred swath of industrial-devastated land in Ukraine's east. It is about Ukraine's democratic governance – and Putin's clear desire to eliminate it so it no longer acts as an appealing model for the Russian citizens of the responsible government that his increasing dictatorship denies them.

Land Surrenders

While keeping in place the already divided Ukrainian provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the proposal would compel the nation to give up all of Donetsk province. In addition to favoring the Russian Federation with area that its forces have been unsuccessful to capture in exceeding a decade of conflict, this surrender would make Ukraine's military defenses severely compromised.

Donetsk is the place of the nation's highly-touted "stronghold system", the entrenched defensive positions that represent a critical impediment to Russian advances. The proposal would have the Ukrainian military surrender these defenses, providing Russian forces a clear route to Kyiv if he later choose to restart the war.

Armed Forces Limitations

Then, in a action that would facilitate renewed fighting simpler for Russia, Trump would require the nation to cut the size of its military from their existing 800,000 to 850,000 soldiers to a limit of six hundred thousand. Notably, Trump's proposal places no equivalent restrictions on the invading army.

In what appears as a accommodation to Putin's efforts to portray the nation's chosen by the people leadership as extremists, the plan asserts: "Any Nazi ideology and activities must be opposed and banned." Seemingly to emphasize this point, it insists that "Ukraine will hold democratic votes in this period" of a truce. However, the proposal sets no condition that the Russian leader risk his regime by allowing democratic processes in Russia.

Security Commitments

Admittedly, the proposal includes the Russian Federation pledge not to "attack other states" and to "enshrine in legislation its policy of peaceful relations towards the EU and Ukraine". However taking into account that the Russian leadership has violated comparable treaties in the past – for example the 1994 Budapest memorandum, in which Russia committed to honor the nation's sovereignty in return for surrendering its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal, and the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements, in which Russia promised to a ceasefire and a return of seized areas in the Donbas to Kyiv – why should anyone trust this commitment now?

This explains Ukraine has been so insistent on international protection assurances. While the proposal warns of a "immediate coordinated military response" if the Russian Federation restart its military campaign, and states that "Ukraine will receive dependable security guarantees", the details vary from fuzzy to troubling. The plan would not just block the nation Nato membership but also prevent alliance nations from deploying forces on Ukraine's soil, thus preventing the peacekeeping contingent, presumptively led by European powers, on which Ukraine had been relying to prevent Russia from restoring his weakened military, re-equipping, and reinvading.

World Concern

A separate side agreement according to sources would offer the nation with a alliance-like protection assurance, in which any subsequent "significant, deliberate, and continuous aggression" by the Russian Federation on the country "shall be regarded as an act of war threatening the tranquility of the Western nations." This indicates a defense action. However different from a strong Ukrainian military – Ukraine's primary defense against additional Russian aggression – the success of the parallel accord would depend on the commitment of alliance members, including Trump, to act through arms to Russia's aggression, a response they have {not