Ukraine's strategic gamble: Courting Trump with troops and trade
Ukraine worked on its "victory plan" focusing on the upcoming Trump administration, highlighting potential business deals, access to raw materials, and military deployment to convince the US president-elect, known for his transactional approach, reports The Telegraph.
Western allies of Ukraine, including high-level Republican representatives, advised Kyiv to formulate peace proposals effectively so that Trump would cooperate with Ukraine and continue his support, according to Ukrainian and European sources.
Ukrainian troops to replace those stationed in Europe?
Under Trump, the "victory plan" included two key points. The first involved replacing some American troops stationed in Europe with Ukrainian forces after the war concludes.
The second suggested sharing Ukraine's natural resources with Western partners. According to the Financial Times (FT), this proposal was overseen by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. His office did not comment on these reports.
Proposals "interested" Trump
Zelensky presented the points to Trump during a meeting in September in New York. An FT source stated that Trump was "interested" in these proposals.
Ukraine began developing these points in the summer, "to impose its narrative before Trump imposes his," stated one source. "The level of dissatisfaction with the Biden administration was high enough that they felt it was time for change, and that change might be beneficial," added the newspaper's interlocutor.
Last week, Zelensky mentioned he had an "excellent" phone conversation with Trump following his victory in the US presidential elections. Kyiv and its allies fear that the US may reduce military support after Trump takes office in January.
