Trump could force Ukraine to make peace with Russia – Bloomberg — RT World News

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee and former US leader Donald Trump plans to pressure Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia if he wins a rematch with current President Joe Biden, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing sources. If Trump becomes president, he may also back away from a number of his defense commitments to some NATO allies, according to reports.

Trump's advisers talked about ways to bring Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his Russian counterpart to the negotiating table shortly after the potential inauguration, people familiar with the matter said.

One adviser suggested, according to Bloomberg, that Washington could pressure Kiev to engage with Moscow by threatening to cut massive military aid, adding that Russia could be swayed by threatening to increase that aid instead.

Bloomberg sources also confirmed that Trump aides did not discuss the matter with Russian officials because it would be illegal for private U.S. entities to negotiate with foreign governments on behalf of the administration.

Russian officials have repeatedly said they are open to talks with Ukraine, but have indicated that any dialogue will only take place after Zelensky rescinds his decree banning negotiations with the current leadership in Moscow. The Ukrainian president imposed the ban last fall after four of Kiev's former regions voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia.

The flip side of Trump's supposed foreign policy seems to be understandable “Two-tier NATO” Bloomberg reported that the joint defense clause will apply only to countries that have reached a certain limit for defense spending, adding that no final decision has been made on this issue.

However, the agency noted that such an approach could happen “The volatility of decades of American politics” While taking risks “Cracking” Defense Alliance.

During his presidency, Trump repeatedly pushed NATO countries to increase military spending to 2% of GDP, a threshold many have struggled to reach. As of July, only 11 NATO members had reached or exceeded this level.

The Bloomberg report came after Trump claimed last week that, while in office, he threatened not to defend “delinquent” NATO members who did not pay their fair share of defense spending if they were attacked by Russia. His statements sparked condemnation from the White House and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Moscow has repeatedly said it has no plans or interest in attacking the US-led military bloc.