Will the Russia-Ukraine War end soon after the US walks away, leaving Kyiev in the lurch with no option but to sign on the dotted line as dictated by Moscow? Though President-elect Donald Trump’s team has rejected his claim, Republican strategist Bryan Lanza has earlier said that the priority for the U.S. would be “peace and to stop the killing.”
Will Ukraine Adopt Realistic ‘Vision For Peace’?
He told the BBC that after the Trump administration took over, it would ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to adopt a “realistic vision for peace.” Lanza is not included in the transition team, though he worked on Trump’s presidential campaign.
Lanza said “If President Zelensky comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he’s not serious. Crimea is gone.” Much before the present war that erupted in February 2022, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Will Donald Trump Stop US Funding Of War?
Donald Trump during his election campaign criticised President Joe Biden’s handling of the war in Ukraine and claimed that he would bring the war to an end in one day. He also criticized the Ukrainian President and called him “the greatest salesman on Earth” for securing billions of dollars of U.S. military aid.
On the other hand, the US President-elect has called Russian President Vladimir Putin and reportedly warned him against escalating the ongoing war. They also discussed how to bring peace and stability to Europe.
Trump Calls Putin, Zelensky
Meanwhile, Donald Trump also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry feigned ignorance of any such talk and claimed that it had no prior information about the call between Trump and Putin and subsequently could neither endorse nor object to it. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was not informed in advance of the call between Trump and Putin and subsequently could neither endorse nor object to it.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s Communications Director said, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
Will Joe Biden Lobby For Ukraine Funding?
On the other hand, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Biden’s top message would be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. He added that he would talk to Trump about what’s happening in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Sullivan said that President Biden would have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.
Will Trump Stop Ukraine Funding?
Earlier Donald Trump criticised the Joe Biden administration for splurging an enormous amount of money on fueling the war against Russia to weaken the cold-war adversary. It has reportedly given tens of billions of dollars worth of U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine.
The Republican leader claimed last year that Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had been the US President at the time. He also said that Ukraine might have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement. Zelenskyy has rejected it outrightly.
According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress agreed to provide Ukraine with more than $174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. However, political analysts believe that US aid is most likely to drop under Trump.
Besides the Republican candidate winning the US Presidential Election 2024, the party has also got control over the US Senate. Though Democrats still have more members in the U.S. House of Representatives, the GOP has won 213 seats.
Joe Biden will remain in office till January 20, when Trump will take oath as the 47th US President. He has more than two months from now and he can use this period to get the approval of Congress for more appropriation of funds to fuel the Russia-Ukraine War.
