Trump's 100‑day plan: Talks with Putin, no compromise on Ukraine
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, believes that future U.S. President Donald Trump will need 100 days to initiate negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin but not to end the war. In an article in the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Podolyak stated that there can be "no compromise at the expense of Ukraine."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that there is a political will to organize a meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump.
Donald Trump says he will end the war in 100 days. But it's important to understand what he means: in 100 days, he will be able to start negotiations with Putin, the advisor to the Ukrainian president said in an interview published on Monday.
Only after this can negotiations between Ukraine and Russia take place. To end this war, one must understand the context and listen to President Zelensky, who talks about two fundamental steps for us, he added.
Podolyak then explained that the first must be an agreement on the positions of the U.S., the European Union, and Ukraine concerning a just peace.
Secondly, he noted that it is necessary to clearly define the tools of pressure on Russia, both now and in the future. "In other words, Russia will not give up the desire to continue attacking Ukraine and not just Ukraine," the advisor to the Ukrainian president stated.
He assessed that "talking about peace in 100 days harms us and the West."
We must get rid of illusions: there is an aggressor country. Do we want to stop it and live in peace, make it accept that there is international law, or allow it to pay nothing for this war, leave it territory, and agree to further expansion? Podolyak asked.
In his opinion, Ukraine should not discuss whether it is ready to give up Donbas. He emphasized that there is no discussion of any compromise "at the expense of Ukraine."
But if everyone keeps talking about giving something to Russia, it is like an invitation to a wedding, he assessed.
"President-elect tries to save Ukraine"
Trump's special envoy on Ukraine and Russia, retired General Keith Kellogg, said a few days earlier on Fox News that the president-elect wants to "as soon as possible" bring an end to the war in Ukraine but does not intend to make concessions to Putin.
I think people should know that he is not trying to give anything to Putin or the Russians. He is trying to save Ukraine and preserve its sovereignty and will ensure that it is fair and just, Kellogg stated.
He noted that his "personal and professional" goal is to find a solution to the conflict within 100 days from January 20th, when Donald Trump's inauguration is scheduled.
Trump announced on January 7th his intention to end Russia's war against Ukraine within six months. During the election campaign, he spoke of bringing it to an end even within 24 hours.
Michael Waltz, Trump's national security advisor, announced on Sunday in an interview with ABC that the president-elect will soon call Putin as part of preparations for a meeting to end the war in Ukraine.
