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At first, Donald Trump gave the impression to take a strong position concerning Ukraine. After making threats of "severe ramifications" during the summer if Russia's president carried on obstructing peace negotiations, the former president finally imposed considerable penalties on the Russian two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft. This decision seriously affected Putin's ability to fund his aggression in the region.

Yet, via his newly presented 28-point peace proposal for the conflict, that was drafted by American and Russian officials lacking Ukrainian or European participation, the former president has clearly reverted to his pro-Putin approach.

Benefiting Aggression

Trump's initiative would in practice favor Putin for occupying a sovereign nation while placing Ukraine's democratic system in peril. Although bold proclamations that "Ukraine's sovereignty will be confirmed", large portions of the plan actually undermine that same autonomy. What represents a Russian ideal would likely be a catastrophe for the nation.

Demonstrating his corporate background, the former president continues to consider the Ukrainian conflict as a basic land disagreement, like ceding Russia a part of Ukraine's territory will satisfy the president. Yet, Russia's military campaign is not merely about controlling a destroyed area of industrial-devastated land in eastern Ukraine. Rather, it is about the nation's democratic governance – and Putin's obvious intention to destroy it so it stops functions as an attractive example for the Russian citizens of the accountable leadership that Putin's growing authoritarian rule withholds them.

Land Surrenders

Although keeping in status the presently split regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the plan would require the nation to abandon the entire this eastern territory. In addition to favoring Russia with territory that its military have been unsuccessful to seize in more than a decade of fighting, this concession would render Ukrainian defensive positions severely compromised.

This region is the location of the nation's well-known "fortress belt", the well-established protective structures that constitute a essential impediment to Russian advances. Trump would have Ukraine abandon these defenses, providing Russian forces a open way to the capital should he later opt to restart the hostilities.

Defense Restrictions

Additionally, in a step that would enable future fighting more feasible for the Russian military, Trump would force the nation to reduce the size of its armed forces from their existing approximately 800,000 soldiers to a limit of 600,000. Notably, Trump's initiative sets no similar limits on Russian forces.

Apparently as a concession to Russia's efforts to characterize the nation's legitimate administration as radicals, the proposal declares: "Any Nazi belief system and actions must be condemned and forbidden." As if to underscore this point, it insists that "Ukraine will hold political contests in 100 days" of a ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, Trump imposes no obligation that the Russian leader endanger his dictatorship by holding democratic processes in his own country.

Protection Assurances

To be sure, the initiative has Russia pledge not to "enter bordering nations" and to "incorporate in regulation its position of non-violence towards European nations and Ukraine". But taking into account that the Russian leadership has breached comparable treaties in the past – for example the 1994 Budapest memorandum, in which Russia committed to recognize the nation's territorial integrity in exchange for giving up its historical nuclear arsenal, and the previous peace deals, in which Russia committed to a truce and a handback of captured territory in the region to the government – how should anyone have confidence in Russia this time?

That is why Ukraine has been so insistent on western defense commitments. While the plan warns of a "decisive coordinated armed reaction" should the Russian Federation renew its aggression, and includes that "Ukraine will receive strong security guarantees", the particulars vary from unclear to troubling. The initiative would not only block Ukraine alliance membership but also prevent alliance nations from positioning troops on Ukraine's soil, thus blocking the peacekeeping contingent, reportedly commanded by Britain and France, on which the Ukrainian government had been counting to deter Putin from rebuilding his reduced forces, re-equipping, and attacking again.

Global Concern

A separate parallel deal reportedly would offer the nation with a similar to NATO defense commitment, in which any later "significant, intentional, and ongoing military assault" by the Russian Federation on Ukraine "will be treated as an attack threatening the stability and safety of the Western nations." This indicates a military response. Yet in contrast to a strong Ukrainian military – Ukraine's best protection against additional Russian aggression – the effectiveness of the parallel accord would rely on the dedication of Nato leaders, such as Trump, to act with force to Russia's hostilities, an action they have {not