"War stops immediately": Former US Secretary of State predicts Trump's "peace plan" for Ukraine

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has outlined what Donald Trump's "peace plan" might look like if he wins the presidential election. It involves increasing military aid to Ukraine and its membership in the EU and NATO.

Pompeo said in his op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that there is "no evidence" that Trump, if elected president, would push Ukraine towards capitulation. Instead, due to the "Biden administration’s weakness," Ukraine finds itself with "cities destroyed, hundreds of thousands killed, and millions of refugees, and without the means to win".

Pompeo believes that a "successful plan" for Ukraine from a future Trump administration might include the following points:

• Unleash America's energy potential, restore ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel, and work together against Iran.
• Implement real sanctions against Russia, including the removal of exemptions for Russian banks involved in energy extraction – a crucial revenue source for the Kremlin's military machine.
• Expand the American defence industry and require NATO allies to spend at least 3% of their GDP on defence.
• Establish a US$500 billion "lend-lease" programme for Ukraine, which involves providing military aid on a loan basis rather than as a grant.
• Remove all restrictions on the types of weapons Ukraine can receive and use.

"These steps would position Mr. Trump to set the terms of a deal: The war stops immediately. Ukraine builds up substantial defence forces so Russia never attacks again. No one recognizes Russia’s occupation and claimed annexation of any Ukrainian territories," Pompeo said.

Additionally, within this "peace plan," Crimea would undergo demilitarisation (the author does not specify whether this means Russia would end its occupation). Ukraine would be rebuilt using frozen Russian assets and would join NATO and the EU as soon as possible. The Alliance would also create a US$100 billion fund to arm Kyiv, with the US contributing 20% of the total.

"If Russia complies with these terms, the West will gradually lift sanctions. They will be fully removed once Ukraine is in both NATO and the EU. These steps, and not the half-measures of the Biden administration, will end the war, establish a lasting peace, ensure Europe bears the burden of maintaining it, and re-establish freedom and security on the Continent," Pompeo said.

Trump himself has previously claimed that he wants to end the war in Ukraine "within 24 hours" and before he assumes the US presidency, but he has never detailed his "peace plan". 

Last week, after a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he reiterated his desire to "bring peace to the world" by bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table.