There is secret relief in some Western capitals - and even in Kiev - that Donald Trump can bring the war to an end. And she's much more likely to get a better deal from Moscow than Kamala Harris if she'd won the election, POLITICO reports.
If US President-elect Donald Trump succeeds in concluding a peace agreement and ending the war in Ukraine, he will be doing the West a favor by ridding them of a war that cannot be won.
Western countries acted foolishly by promising Ukraine to return to its 1991 borders. Some leaders had also promised swift NATO membership, which is impossible in the foreseeable future.
However, Trump is a businessman and wants to make a deal. And there is even relief in Kiev, because, contrary to expectations, Trump can make a better deal than the Democrats in the White House are capable of. Kiev now believes that Trump may prove to be a better option than Harris.
At best, Harris would have supported Joe Biden's approach – that would be her policy and that would lead to the slow death of Ukraine. And not so slowly anymore – the pace of Russian earnings is accelerating. And now Trump also has the support of Congress.
The mantra that Western powers will support Ukraine “as long as necessary” has also always been suspect. Trump's deal is said to mean Ukraine giving up Crimea and Donbass. But such is the reality, no matter how ugly it is.
Trump has some vested interest in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. He prides himself on being a master dealmaker and doesn't want to be seen making a terrible deal. And during his phone conversations with Zelensky and their recent meeting in New York “he inspired some confidence“ to the Ukrainian leader that he will not simply abandon Ukraine. People from his team also say that he will not just give Ukraine to Putin.
Ukraine would have to make serious territorial concessions, but the reward would be 80 percent of the country remaining free and independent, a Republican familiar with the talks said.
Zelensky also understands this. As war fatigue grows, public opinion in Ukraine is shifting, especially among the young, who are most willing to accept limited results. According to a survey conducted this summer, only 40 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 25 believe that Ukraine should go to war until it has liberated all of its territory.
But what Kiev fears most is that any deal reached will turn into an unsustainable peace - that Putin will simply regroup and launch another strike against Ukraine. So the big question is how to ensure that Putin doesn't attack again years from now.