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DECRYPTION. War in Ukraine: demilitarization, abandonment of territory… how does Donald Trump intend to end the conflict?

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The newly elected Republican president promised to be able to end the war even before taking office. To do this, he will have to convince Ukraine and its President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

For several months, Donald Trump has been repeating to anyone who will listen that, as President, he would end the war in Ukraine “even before (his) taking office”, on January 20. Now elected, the former businessman finds himself facing a major challenge: finding a solution that suits everyone. This is no small matter: the American public does not like Putin but does not want the government to ruin itself in a costly war; Ukraine would like everything to stop but not at the cost of abandoning sovereignty over part of its lands; and Russia does as it pleases.

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Donald Trump has a plan, revealed in recent weeks by the Washington Post and then the Wall Street Journal: to convince Ukraine to abandon part of its territory, the furthest to the east, in particular to create a strip of demilitarized land which would be managed… by Europe, no less. At the same time, to buy peace with Russian tanks and air force, kyiv would promise not to join NATO for the next 20 years. Not sure that this solution, concocted to resolve this conflict as quickly as possible, will suit all parties, and especially Ukraine. “We all want this war to end, but for it to end fairly: if it is a quick end, it will mean a defeat for Ukraine,” President Volodymyr explained a few days ago. Zelensky.

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On the other hand, it is difficult to know precisely Russian intentions. People close to Donald Trump conveniently leaked the holding of a telephone conversation between the American President-elect and Vladimir Putin last week, where Trump allegedly warned his Russian counterpart “not to escalate the conflict”. “Such a conversation never took place,” the Kremlin responded, adding to the confusion.

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A few days earlier, to illustrate the results of the American presidential election, Russia 1, the country’s public television, had strangely chosen photos of… Melania Trump naked, taken around twenty years ago for GQ magazine. Some saw it as a threat to Donald Trump, a way of reminding us that Russia was ready to reveal secret or scandalous files. The ties of the former and future President of the United States with Russia have been shrouded in a veil of mystery for several years and his entry into politics. Suspicions of collusion during the 2016 election led to an investigation which revealed disturbing elements but provided no proof.

“Zelensky is losing the silver of a few”

In these circumstances, what independence will the Trump administration benefit from in its relationship to this conflict? Donald Jr, the President’s son, went in with his feet in it: “Zelensky is going to lose his pocket money”, he boasted in front of the camera. The appointments of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State (Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Pete Hegseth as Defense do not bode well for Ukraine.

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“I’m not on Russia’s side, but this war must end with a negotiated agreement,” Marco Rubio said recently. “The reality is that we are spending billions of dollars on this, and American taxpayers need to know what the purpose is. their money. It doesn’t have to be an endless war.”

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Pete Hegseth is a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A graduate of the prestigious Princeton University, he also ventured into a lighter adventure, as a host on the conservative channel Fox Newswhich has somewhat damaged its image. A supporter of non-intervention by the American army on the world stage, he fully shares Donald Trump’s views on this point.

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