The new President of the United States, Donald Trump, considered himself a master negotiator during his first term and aimed to strike deals with America's adversaries worldwide. Now, according to officials who know him, he plans to do so again, seeking to end the wars in Israel as well as in Ukraine.
However, as noted by Politico, it won't be easy for Trump to become a peacemaker. Even during his first term, Trump failed to achieve successful agreements with China, Iran, and North Korea.
"In the four years since he left the Oval Office, the world has changed in such a way that he will have to face a much tougher international environment than before, making it unlikely that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East will end anytime soon," the publication states.
Plans to End the War in Ukraine
Trump has already encountered the prospect of breaking one of his main campaign promises to end the war in Ukraine "even before he becomes president." Later, he claimed he would accomplish this "in 24 hours," announcing a ceasefire and then negotiating a deal in which Ukraine would cede part of its territory and future NATO membership in exchange for peace.
However, as Politico points out, any such deal requires a stable front line, so during a phone call with Putin, Trump warned him against escalation.
"Instead, the Russian president did the opposite: He continues to build up forces in southeastern Ukraine, apparently preparing for a new offensive, and in the past week, Putin has launched several of the largest missile strikes on Ukraine in recent months," the publication writes.
According to Politico, neither Putin nor the Ukrainians are currently willing to negotiate with Trump. Meanwhile, there are still many supporters of Ukraine among Republicans, including Trump's future Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio. If their opinions are taken into account, Trump may not want to start his presidency by demonstrating weakness by simply conceding a significant part of Ukraine to Putin.
Relations with North Korea
Moreover, Trump cannot expect any disarmament deal with North Korea. As Politico notes, during his first term, Trump had quite close relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. However, Kim has significantly advanced his nuclear program and has also entered into a new military agreement with Russia, which has made Pyongyang less dependent on U.S. aid.
Kim receives food aid, money, and oil from Russia – and likely military technology – which could previously only be obtained through a deal with Washington.
Trump and the War in Ukraine
Business Insider reported that peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could take place as early as 2025; however, they might be "fragile" if the elected U.S. President Donald Trump does not back them up with security guarantees for Ukraine.
As the WP noted, Trump may agree to a bad deal regarding Ukraine, aiming to end the war as quickly as possible.