Ukraine courts Trump with military and resource proposals
Ukraine worked on its "victory plan" with an eye on the upcoming Trump administration, writes The Telegraph. It highlighted potential business deals, access to raw materials, and military deployment to persuade the new US president-elect, known for his transactional approach.
Western allies of Ukraine, including high-level Republican representatives, advised Kyiv to formulate peace proposals as effectively as possible, so that Trump would cooperate with Ukraine and continue to aid it, claim Ukrainian and European sources.
Ukrainian troops to replace those stationed in Europe?
Under Trump, two points were included in the "victory plan." The first concerns replacing some American troops stationed in Europe with Ukrainian forces after the war concludes.
The second proposes sharing Ukraine's natural resources with Western partners. According to "FT," this proposal was managed 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 conveyed that Trump was "interested" in these proposals.
Ukraine began developing the points in the summer, "to impose its narrative before Trump imposes his own," said 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 something good," added the newspaper's contact.
Last week, Zelensky said 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 cut military support after Trump takes office in January.
