Trump May Demand Concessions: FT

The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, may demand a range of concessions from Russia regarding the Ukrainian conflict. This is stated in an article for the Financial Times by former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller (2016-2019).

“Trump could demand concessions. And if they are well thought out, it would not be difficult for Putin to agree to them. Three options come to mind,” the article states.

First, according to Gottemoeller, one concession could be that the U.S. might offer formulations for a ceasefire agreement similar to those used to describe West Germany’s status after World War II.

Second, a concession to Trump could also be a U.S. proposal to consider NATO membership on a “indefinite timeline.” Thus, Russia could ostensibly allow Ukraine to join NATO. If Ukraine needs certain guarantees in case of “changes in directives,” Gottemoeller writes, there is the option to set a deadline for achieving definitive results—20 years.

The third concession that Russia could allegedly provide to the U.S. relates to negotiations around strategic nuclear stability. “(The United States will be able to - editor’s note) say that Russia must be prepared to return to talks on nuclear weapons control and strategic stability,” Gottemoeller writes.

Previously, Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz announced that the head of state was opposed to the continuation of the conflict and intended to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.