Trump’s plans regarding Ukraine in MiosgaPeace or surrender? “That would be a declaration of total bankruptcy”
“Deceptive package”: Donald Trump’s peace plan is intended to end the war in Ukraine. With Caren Miosga he was torn. It’s about “German illusions” and Ukrainian “criminals”. Armin Laschet praises Chancellor Merz – and accepts criticism.
Can the war in Ukraine end? Will Donald Trump’s 28-point plan bring peace or is it equivalent to Kiev’s surrender? On Sunday evening, ARD’s talk show “Caren Miosga” discussed the current status of the negotiations, debated how to proceed – and unanimously agreed that the plan presented by the US would greatly harm Ukraine and Europe and benefit Russia.
The plan was a “fraud,” summarized Claudia Major. The Vice President for the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the German Marshall Fund is one of Germany’s most prominent security experts and cites several fatal mistakes: limiting Ukraine’s armed forces while allowing Russia’s armed forces to expand unmolested; no real guarantee of security; there are no NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. “De facto, this means: Ukraine remains banned,” Major tore up the document.
In particular, the points that Ukraine had to write in its constitution that it would never join NATO, despite freely choosing alliances, and that NATO was no longer willing to accept Ukraine, are points of great concern. “Russia is limiting Ukraine’s sovereignty,” he said. “This is really worrying for European society.” Moscow, which NATO considers the biggest threat to Europe, now claims to dictate and revise NATO policy. “That would amount to a declaration of total bankruptcy,” Major’s ruling said.
CDU foreign policy expert Armin Laschet also argued that Trump’s plan is “wrong in terms of its content”, but that is the “current American attitude” and therefore we must address it. He remained firm on only one point: Based on those 28 points, Ukraine should cede Donbass, including unconquered territories, to Russia. “There can be no recognition of these territories under international law,” Laschet said. “That’s impossible. This is unacceptable for Europe.”
“You think Trump was impressed by that?”
Shortly before the broadcast, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was progress in negotiations, which should continue at least until Thursday. There will also be a draft of a new peace plan, which Ukraine’s Security Council Chairman Rustem Umerov said contains many of his country’s “important priorities.” The Europeans are said to have previously submitted a modified design. Security expert Major analyzed: “If you put the two documents side by side, the initial plan and the European offer, there are fundamental differences.”
In Miosga, Laschet immediately praised his Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who spoke with Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit and tried to “explain to him what needs to change.” “You think Trump was impressed by that?” replied Paul Ronzheimer. The deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Bild” has been reporting from Ukraine since the beginning of the war and said: “In reality, Europe is not doing anything,” they are just reacting to suggestions, but have no real influence. But everyone in Ukraine knows that the “painful concessions” contained in Trump’s plan will happen someday. Because Russia continues to progress, albeit slowly. For most Ukrainians, the question is: How big will the concessions be? Although there were some military officers “who would never give up their territory”.
Major also believes that Germany and Europe have no influence in the peace planning process: “The fact that Europe has made no military investments in the last ten years is an act of revenge. The US knows that and Russia knows that. We can’t make a real difference.” Now the exact points that Russia has demanded since negotiations in Istanbul in 2022 are being discussed. If the first variant of the plan is implemented, this would only lead to “a lull in the fighting that would allow Russia to peacefully restore its armed forces,” the security expert explained. These 28 points would convey to Moscow that “the border shift was justified by the war” and also put Russia in a better situation for a possible future attack, which was also very dangerous for Germany.
Russia “has no reason to end the war”
However, Major and Ronzheimer are not sure Moscow will sign on to Trump’s plan because it doesn’t go far enough. “There have been countless attempts at negotiations. So far, all of them have been rejected by Russia because Russia looks at this war and says: The long-term strategy of attrition is working. From Russia’s point of view, there is no reason to end the war,” the security expert said. If he doesn’t get the Donbass, he definitely won’t accept the plan, Ronzheimer said.
This statement disturbed Laschet. The former chancellor candidate was realistic and warned: “If you assume when developing the plan that Russia won’t do it, we won’t make any progress.” You have to sit down together and hone everything. Otherwise, the US will soon end its support for Ukraine completely: “Then we will have big problems.” So, you should not look to Putin, but rather strengthen the forces in the US that want to continue to cooperate with Europe.
Another point in the peace plan is that Russia is not expected to attack Ukraine again. “Does Ukrainian society laugh or cry at this formulation?” asked talk show host Caren Miosga. “Probably both,” Ronzheimer replied. No one in Ukraine trusts Russia because Putin has repeatedly broken his promises. Society has questions like: “Can I continue to live my life as before the war? Can I live without fear of being attacked again?”
“You must dispel the German illusion that Russia wants to end this war,” Major warned sternly. “The Russian theory was a war of attrition, and, horrifyingly, this plan worked.” Although Trump expressed an “honest desire to end this war,” the US President also wants to normalize relations with Russia, even if Russia’s position does not change. “And Russia still wants to control the security of Ukraine and Europe,” the security expert analyzed.
Is the 28-point plan the basis for lasting peace? This is still questionable even after the ARD talk session. Claudia Major summed it up again succinctly: “The entire document remains in line with Russia’s wishes.”
