Exclusive-Trump considers plan to suspend US military aid to Ukraine unless it negotiates peace with Moscow

By Gram Slattery and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two key advisers to donald trump presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – if he wins the presidential election – that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more weapons from the US if it enters into peace talks.

At the same time, the United States would warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in greater U.S. support for Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, one of Trump’s national security advisers, said in an interview.

Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who served as chiefs of staff on Trump’s National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on the battle lines prevailing during the peace talks.

They presented their strategy to Trump and the former president responded favorably, Fleitz said. “I’m not saying he agreed or agreed with every word, but we were pleased to receive the feedback we received,” he said.

However, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said only statements made by Trump or authorized members of his campaign should be considered official.

The strategy outlined by Kellogg and Fleitz is the most detailed plan yet drawn up by associates of Trump, who has said he could quickly resolve the war in Ukraine if he defeats President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election, although he did not discuss specifics.

The proposal would mark a dramatic shift in the US stance on the war and would face opposition from European allies and within Trump’s own Republican Party.

The Kremlin and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the plan.

NATO MEMBER ON WAITING

The plan’s core elements were outlined in a publicly available research document published by the “America First Policy Institute,” a Trump-friendly think tank where Kellogg and Fleitz hold leadership positions.

Kellogg said it would be crucial to quickly bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table if Trump wins the election.

“We tell the Ukrainians, ‘You have to come to the table, and if you don’t come to the table, U.S. support will end,'” he said. “And you say (to Russian President Vladimir) put on‘He has to come to the table and if you don’t come to the table, we will give the Ukrainians everything they need to kill them on the field.’

According to his research work, Moscow would also be persuaded to come to the table with the promise of Ukraine’s NATO membership being postponed for an extended period.

Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Until some Russian gains in recent months, the front lines have barely moved since the end of that year, despite tens of thousands of deaths on both sides in relentless trench warfare. , the bloodiest fighting in Europe since the World War. Two.

Fleitz said Ukraine does not need to formally cede territory to Russia under its plan. Still, he said, it is unlikely that Ukraine will regain effective control of all of its territory in the short term.

“Our concern is that this will become a war of attrition that will kill an entire generation of young people,” he said.

A lasting peace in Ukraine would require additional security guarantees for Ukraine, Kellogg and Fleitz said. Fleitz added that “arming Ukraine to the teeth” would likely be a key element of that.

“President Trump has repeatedly stated that a top priority in his second term will be to quickly negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” said Trump spokesman Cheung. “The war between Russia and Ukraine would never have happened if Donald J. Trump had been president.

Biden’s campaign has said Trump is not interested in taking on Putin.

“Donald Trump praises Vladimir Putin whenever he can and has made it clear that he will not oppose Putin or defend democracy,” said campaign spokesman James Singer.

TOP HAND

Some Republicans will be reticent to pay more resources to Ukraine under the plan. The US has spent more than $70 billion on military aid to Ukraine since the invasion of Moscow.

“What (Trump supporters) want to do is reduce aid, if not turn off the tap,” said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Putin said this month that the war could end if Ukraine agreed to abandon its ambitions to join NATO and hand over four eastern and southern provinces claimed by Russia.

During a United Nations Security Council meeting last week, French and British ambassadors reiterated their view that peace can only be sought when Russia withdraws from Ukrainian territory, a position Kiev shares.

Several analysts have also expressed concern that Kellogg and Fleitz’s plan could give Moscow an advantage in negotiations.

“What Kellogg is describing is a process that leads to Ukraine giving up all the territory that Russia now occupies,” said Daniel Fried, a former assistant secretary of state who worked on Russian politics.

During a podcast interview last week, Trump ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine and appeared skeptical about making Ukraine a member of NATO. He indicated he would move quickly to cut aid to the Eastern European country if elected.

Biden has consistently pushed for more aid to Ukraine and his administration supports its eventual accession to NATO. In early June, Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement

(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Simon Lewis; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Kieran Murray and Cynthia Osterman)