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For a brief period, Trump seemed to take a resolute approach on Ukraine. After issuing warnings of "serious ramifications" in August in case Putin continued hindering truce talks, the former president finally enacted major restrictions on the Russian primary petroleum corporations, Lukoil and Rosneft. This move substantially affected the Russian leader's capacity to support his military invasion in Ukraine.

But, via his latest comprehensive peace proposal for Ukraine, reportedly developed by both nations' diplomats excluding Ukraine's or EU input, he has seemingly gone back to his favorable to Russia approach.

Benefiting Aggression

This plan would in practice benefit the Russian leader for invading Ukraine while placing Ukraine's political freedom in danger. Despite strong statements that "Ukraine's sovereignty will be affirmed", significant aspects of the plan effectively compromise that essential independence. Seen as a Kremlin dream would likely be a Ukrainian nightmare.

Showing his real-estate experience, Trump persists to consider the Ukrainian conflict as a simple territorial dispute, like ceding Russia a portion of Ukrainian land will appease the ruler. Yet, Putin's war is not only about dominating a charred region of industrial-devastated area in Ukraine's east. It is about the nation's democratic governance – and Putin's apparent goal to destroy it so it stops acts as an enticing standard for the Russian citizens of the accountable governance that his growing authoritarian rule withholds them.

Territorial Concessions

While maintaining in position the already split regions of these areas, Trump's proposal would require the nation to abandon the whole this eastern territory. Beyond benefiting Russia with territory that its military have been unable to capture in over a ten years of conflict, this surrender would render Ukrainian defenses severely compromised.

Donetsk is the place of Ukraine's well-known "defensive line", the well-established military defenses that are a key impediment to invading forces. The proposal would have the Ukrainian military surrender these positions, leaving Russian forces a unobstructed way to Kyiv in case he eventually choose to restart the conflict.

Armed Forces Limitations

Then, in a step that would make renewed hostilities more feasible for Russia, Trump would mandate Ukraine to diminish the size of its armed forces from their existing approximately 800,000 troops to a limit of 600,000. Significantly, the proposal sets no similar restrictions on Russia's military.

Seemingly as a gesture to Putin's attempts to depict Ukraine's democratically elected administration as extremists, the proposal states: "Every Nazi ideology and practices must be opposed and banned." Apparently to highlight this point, it insists that "Ukraine will hold political contests in this period" of a ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the proposal sets no condition that the Russian leader risk his authoritarian rule by holding elections in his own country.

Protection Commitments

Admittedly, the plan makes the Russian Federation commit not to "attack other states" and to "enshrine in law its stance of non-aggression towards European nations and the Ukrainian people". Yet taking into account that the Russian leadership has breached similar accords in the past – for example the 1994 agreement, in which Russia promised to recognize the nation's sovereignty in return for surrendering its former Soviet nuclear weapons, and the previous peace deals, in which Moscow promised to a ceasefire and a restoration of occupied areas in the region to the government – for what reason should anyone believe Putin this time?

For this reason Ukraine has been so determined on western security guarantees. Although the proposal promises a "strong unified military response" if Russia restart its military campaign, and includes that "The nation will receive dependable security guarantees", the particulars range from vague to alarming. The proposal would not just prevent Ukraine accession to NATO but also preclude Nato members from stationing troops on Ukraine's soil, thus blocking the peacekeeping contingent, presumptively commanded by the UK and France, on which the Ukrainian government had been relying to deter Russia from replenishing his weakened military, rearming, and resuming aggression.

International Concern

An additional parallel deal reportedly would provide the nation with a Nato-style security guarantee, in which any subsequent "significant, deliberate, and sustained aggression" by Russia on Ukraine "would be considered as an act of war endangering the peace and security of the allied countries." This implies a defense action. Yet in contrast to a capable Ukraine's armed forces – the nation's primary deterrent against future invasion – the credibility of the side agreement would rely on the dedication of Nato leaders, including Trump, to act with force to Russia's hostilities, something they have {not