After his success in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, Donald Trump believes that he is capable of achieving (at least) a ceasefire in Ukraine as well and that he is on a “path to peace”. With this idea in mind, the North American president scheduled two meetings: one with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Budapest, and another, this Friday, with Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House. Gone are the Trump administration’s demands for a ceasefire and threats that it would impose much more severe sanctions against Moscow if this did not happen.
“Trump obviously wants to come up with another 20-point plan for peace like he did in Gazawhich will inevitably be vague about all the important details and the transition from phase 1 to phase 2, as was the case with the Gaza plan”, says Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for NATO Emerging Security Challenges.