Articles of a Trump ‘Peace’ Plan
A quick assessment of the evolving ‘peace’ plan being developed by the Trump administration.
The first aim in war is to win, the second is to prevent defeat, the third is to shorten it, and the fourth and most important, which must never be lost to sight, is to make a just and durable peace. Sir Maurice Hankey, quoted in Victory, Peace and Justice
For those interested in war termination and the resolution of core issues in a conflict, the 2013 article by Beatrice Heuser, Victory, Peace and Justice: The Neglected Trinity, is a must read. It explores 21st century concepts of victory, and the need to achieve enduring and just peace settlements in war termination negotiations. It is very relevant to events of the past week.
Over the past few days, President Trump and members of his administration have made comments about the ‘peace’ plan they appear to be assembling for Ukraine. Trump has also spoken with Zelenskyy and Putin about the plan.
Therefore, I wanted to provide a short assessment about what appears to be the key contours of the Trump ‘peace’ plan, informed by the comments of Trump and administration officials in the last few days.
I don’t think there are any big surprises here. Much of the following has been the subject of speculation for some time.
Peace Plan Article I: “We want our money back”.
Recent comments by Trump indicate that it wants its money back through rare earths. A couple of factual issues. First, the US has not provided 100s of billions to Ukraine, and second, most of the aid it has provided has been spent in America.
It is probably worth noting too that, if you hand 20% of Ukraine to Russia, will it be possible to extract these minerals?
The overall sentiment here is not great. In essence, America is saying to every ally that “we might help you, maybe, but we want a very good monetary return on our investment.” Unfortunately, all of America’s allies may need to readjust to this narrative - it isn’t just about Ukraine.
