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At first, the former US president gave the impression to adopt a strong approach on the Ukrainian conflict. After delivering threats of "serious consequences" last August in case Putin persisted blocking ceasefire talks, he finally imposed substantial penalties on Russia's primary oil companies, these major energy companies. This decision significantly hindered Putin's capability to fund his military invasion in Ukraine.

Yet, via his latest comprehensive peace proposal for Ukraine, that was created by American and Russian representatives without Ukraine's or EU input, Trump has clearly reverted to his Russia-friendly stance.

Rewarding Aggression

The former president's plan would effectively favor Putin for attacking Ukraine while leaving Ukraine's democracy in peril. Although strong declarations that "Ukraine's autonomy will be confirmed", large portions of the plan effectively compromise that very sovereignty. What represents a Russian ideal would certainly be a catastrophe for the nation.

Demonstrating his corporate experience, Trump seems to treat the Ukrainian conflict as a simple land disagreement, as if giving Russia a portion of Ukrainian soil will please the leader. Yet, Russia's invasion is not only about occupying a charred swath of industrial-devastated area in the Donbas region. Instead, it's about Ukraine's democratic governance – and the Russian leader's apparent desire to destroy it so it stops functions as an attractive standard for the Russian people of the democratic governance that his deepening dictatorship prevents them.

Land Surrenders

While keeping in position the presently separated Ukrainian provinces of these areas, Trump's proposal would compel the nation to surrender the whole this eastern territory. Aside from benefiting the Russian Federation with land that its forces have been failed to capture in over a ten years of warfare, this surrender would make Ukraine's defenses critically compromised.

The area is the site of Ukraine's highly-touted "stronghold system", the entrenched defensive positions that constitute a key obstacle to invading forces. Trump would have Ukraine surrender these positions, leaving Russian forces a unobstructed route to the capital if he later opt to resume the hostilities.

Armed Forces Limitations

Then, in a action that would make future conflict more feasible for the Russian military, the plan would force Ukraine to diminish the size of its troops from their current large number troops to a maximum of six hundred thousand. Notably, the initiative imposes no such constraints on the invading army.

In what appears as a concession to Russia's efforts to depict the nation's democratically elected leadership as radicals, Trump's proposal states: "All radical belief system and practices must be opposed and forbidden." As if to underscore this point, it demands that "The nation will hold political contests in this period" of a peace deal. Meanwhile, the proposal places no requirement that Putin endanger his regime by allowing democratic processes in his own country.

Defense Commitments

Certainly, the proposal has the Russian Federation promise not to "invade neighboring countries" and to "enshrine in law its policy of non-aggression towards Europe and the Ukrainian people". But considering that the Russian leadership has violated similar agreements in the history – for example the 1994 agreement, in which Russia promised to honor the nation's territorial integrity in return for relinquishing its historical nuclear arsenal, and the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements, in which Moscow agreed to a halt in fighting and a return of captured land in the Donbas to Ukrainian control – why should we believe this commitment this time?

This explains Ukraine has been so insistent on western protection assurances. While the proposal promises a "decisive coordinated military response" if the Russian Federation renew its invasion, and includes that "The nation will receive dependable defense commitments", the details include unclear to alarming. The initiative would not only block Ukraine accession to NATO but also prohibit alliance nations from deploying military personnel on the nation's land, thereby blocking the reassurance force, presumptively led by Britain and France, on which Ukraine had been counting to prevent Russia from replenishing his weakened troops, rearming, and attacking again.

Global Concern

A separate supplementary accord apparently would offer Ukraine with a similar to NATO defense commitment, in which any future "major, intentional, and sustained military assault" by Russia on the country "will be treated as an act of war endangering the stability and safety of the Western nations." That suggests a armed reaction. Yet unlike a strong national defense – the nation's primary deterrent against renewed Russian aggression – the effectiveness of the supplementary deal would hinge on the commitment of alliance members, including Trump, to respond with force to Putin's aggression, a response they have {not