Vance Describes Plan to End Ukraine War That Sounds a Lot Like Putin’s
Former President Donald J. Trump would tell the Russians, Ukrainians and Europeans to “figure out what a peaceful settlement looks like,” Senator JD Vance, his running mate, says.
nytimes.com
Senator JD Vance outlined a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. But objectively, it sounds a lot like Vladimir Putin’s.
Mr. Vance’s critics immediately said he had described a Russian victory, while his supporters said he had offered the only realistic path to peace.
In an interview with “The Shawn Ryan Show” that was posted on Thursday, Mr. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, was asked about former President Donald J. Trump’s plans to end the war.
Mr. Vance said Mr. Trump would sit down with Russians, Ukrainians and Europeans and say, “You guys need to figure out what a peaceful settlement looks like.” He went on to outline what he thinks a deal would entail: The Russians would retain the land they have taken and a demilitarized zone would be established along the current battle lines, with the Ukrainian side heavily fortified to prevent another Russian invasion.
While the remainder of Ukraine would remain an independent sovereign state, Mr. Vance said, Russia would get a “guarantee of neutrality” from Ukraine.
“It doesn’t join NATO, it doesn’t join some of these sort of allied institutions,” Mr. Vance said. “I think that’s ultimately what this looks like.”
Victoria J. Nuland, a former senior State Department official who helped shape the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy, said Mr. Vance’s plan was very similar to what Mr. Putin had repeatedly offered as peace terms.
“This is essentially the proposal put forward in February,” she said. “And why? Because it is a great gift to him.”
The Kremlin’s terms for ending the war have focused on Russia keeping the territory it has captured and forcing Ukraine to become neutral, meaning it would not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Biden administration officials have long insisted those demands amount to capitulation, not negotiation.
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