(Dan Tri) - US President-elect Donald Trump is trying to reform Washington's policies towards Ukraine even though he is still a few weeks away from his inauguration.
US President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: AFP).
Bloomberg on November 9 quoted a former US administration official as saying that the Republican Party is expected to "get a head start immediately because Mr. Trump will be tougher than his predecessor." He added that some US rivals may change their behavior without waiting for the president-elect to be sworn in, because they can "respond to the threat of US retaliation." Meanwhile, other rivals may try to "exploit the remaining leverage before President Joe Biden leaves office." According to Bloomberg, the change is most clearly felt in Ukraine because Mr. Trump pledged to end the conflict within 24 hours, even before he took office. The source said that Mr. Trump has shaped policy towards Ukraine. Shelby Magid, deputy director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, told Bloomberg that Mr. Trump's victory has changed Ukraine's attitude towards the negotiations. She added that Kiev is "moving towards accepting that negotiations are realistic." President-elect Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone. The call reportedly included Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who supports the idea of Kiev ceding territory to Russia to end the conflict. Regarding the possibility of resolving the conflict in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported this week, citing anonymous sources, that one of the plans under consideration includes Kiev abandoning its ambitions to join NATO in the near future and freezing the conflict along the current front lines. Mr. Zelensky ruled out any concessions to Russia, including the scenario of territorial concessions. However, he will face great pressure if Mr. Trump decides that Kiev must make a peace deal with Russia.
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