New conflict and loss of credibility: what could result from Trump's attempts to swiftly end the war in Ukraine?

The plans of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a swift agreement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine could have detrimental effects for both Kyiv and the U.S. alongside Europe. Ukraine may face significant territorial losses, the U.S. could lose its standing entirely, and authoritarian regimes worldwide might sense the weakness of democracy and escalate their aggression.

This is reported by The Washington Post. The article notes that since the beginning of autumn 2024, the war in Ukraine has intensified considerably, as the Kremlin has ramped up offensive operations and enlisted soldiers from the North Korean regime.

In response, Ukraine has targeted locations in Russia with Western long-range weaponry, as the U.S. has finally lifted restrictions on these attacks. However, Trump, who has promised to "quickly end the conflict," might indeed bring an end to the war – but if he attempts to negotiate with Russia, it could come at a very high cost.

Trump's supporters do not rule out the establishment of a so-called "demilitarized zone" in Ukraine. However, this would effectively legitimize the Russian regime's occupation of part of Ukrainian territory. Moreover, the hope for such an outcome seems to motivate the Kremlin to seize new territories in Ukraine before January 20, 2025, when Trump is set to take office.

Experts have already warned that any agreement involving territorial concessions from Ukraine would inherently be a grave mistake. Such an agreement would not only give Russia a "green light" for further aggression but also undermine the authority of the U.S. and Western nations. A withdrawal of support for Ukraine would cost the West wars with other authoritarian regimes in the near future, which would begin to act more aggressively.

The U.S. would display weakness by stepping back from its support for Ukraine. An agreement would provide a sense of victory to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and encourage him to engage in conflict with NATO or attempt to seize the remnants of Ukraine. Therefore, Trump's stance on a quick peace could lead to serious political and geopolitical repercussions.

It is worth noting that former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2006) and director of the Eurasian Center at the Atlantic Council John Herbst stated that Donald Trump definitely has certain "levers to influence Putin." The only question is whether he is truly willing to use them.

Herbst pointed out that Putin will not voluntarily agree to leave Ukrainian territory, and Trump will "have to do a very significant amount of work" to convince him otherwise.

As previously reported by "Telegraph", Putin may propose to Trump to divide Ukraine into three parts.