They are coming (maybe) Trump's first moves after his victory in the presidential election. The president-elect of the United States would have held a Telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin with the stated aim of finding a rapid solution to the conflict in Ukraine. According to The Washington Post, the call reportedly took place on Thursday, without the participation of State Department officials or official translators. Trump reportedly advised the Russian leader to “avoid further military escalations” to discuss “a rapid resolution” of the conflict, also highlighting the strong US military presence in Europe. Kiev was reportedly informed of the conversation that The Kremlin, however, denied this. “This news is a pure invention. This is false information,” said the spokesman for the Russian presidency. Dmitri Peskov, regarding the article of the The Washington Post, “There are no specific plans for contacts between Putin and Trump yet,” he specified. Just a few days ago Peskov had defined the signals coming from the United States "Positive", saying that Trump's peace-focused approach to the war in Ukraine appears very different from that taken by the Biden administration.
What to Expect From Possible Putin-Trump Deal
I details of the peace plan proposed by Trump they are not yet defined, but some general lines are starting to emerge. During the election campaign, Trump had anticipated his desire to start peace talks, proposing a suspension of fighting and the freezing of positions current on the field. This would mean that the territories occupied by Russia, including Crimea and Donbass, would remain under Moscow's control, but without formal recognition by Kiev. In exchange, theUkraine would receive advanced weaponry to defend itself from new Russian aggression, while its membership in NATO would be suspended for at least twenty years. Although there was no official statement of approval, the Ukrainian government agreed to the conversation between Trump and Putin, understanding the importance of a dialogue between the two superpowers.
Trump had already spoken on the phone with Zelensky, along with Elon Musk, who with his company Starlink guarantees him access to the internet. At the end of the conversation, sources close to the Ukrainian president told the website Axios that “he did not come away from it with a sense of despair”.
Escalation on the ground: attacks and new forces ready for action
While Trump and Putin discuss a possible peace plan, the cConflict in Ukraine continues to escalate. In the last few hours, Russian air strikes have hit several cities southern Ukraine, including Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, leaving at least five dead and many injured, including children. Four people were killed in Mykolaiv, and one in Zaporizhzhia, where buildings were severely damaged. The escalation also caused large parts of Ukraine to be put on air raid alert, while Russian strategic bombers flew overhead, launching missiles.
The conflict also intensifies on technological front, with massive use of Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have launched a record number of 145 drones, of which Ukrainian defenses managed to shoot down 62. In recent drone strikes, Moscow has even caused the temporary closure of Moscow's airports.
And the situation seems to get worse further. About 50 Russian and North Korean soldiers they are crowding in Kursk region, ready to launch a new offensive against Ukrainian troops who had temporarily captured parts of Russian territory. According to American and Ukrainian sources cited by the New York Times,attack would be imminent and could begin as early as the next few days. The North Korean forces sent by Pyongyang also include 10.000 North Korean soldiers, trained in artillery and tactical maneuvers, equipped with Russian weapons and uniforms.
Biden's Latest Moves: Unconditional Support for Kiev
THEBiden administration continues to demonstrate firm support for Ukraine, with the intention of maintaining this line until the end of the mandate. The National Security Advisor, Jake sullivan, confirmed that the United States will provide additional military aid to Kiev worth about ten billion of dollars and that the remainder will be used six billion dollars already allocated, ahead of a possible change of administration in January. Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sullivan warned of the risks that a potential halt in U.S. support for Kiev could entail.
President Biden intends meet the president-elect in the Oval Office on Wednesday to discuss major foreign policy issues. According to Sullivan, Biden will have the opportunity to expose Trump its vision and the strategy adopted so far, especially in coordinating an international coalition to support Kiev against the Russian invasion.
The primary objective of the outgoing administration in the coming months will be to to put Ukraine “in the strongest possible position on the battlefield” in order to be equally strong at the negotiating table.
(Last update: 15.14 pm on Monday 11 November).
