136. Donald Trump has another outrageous plan
U.S. President Donald Trump, who once envisioned a Riviera in Gaza, has now redirected his efforts toward creating one in Ukraine. He has dubbed it the Free Economic Zone in the regions presently controlled by Kyiv.
Gaza Riviera was a controversial plan promoted by Trump to turn the Gaza Strip into a luxury seaside resort and a high-tech hub, involving the forced or voluntary relocation of most Palestinian residents to neighboring countries.
According to his plan, Ukraine would withdraw from Donbas, where Russia is making advances, while the front lines would remain static in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia would relinquish a few small pockets of territory in the other areas.
However, my friends in Kyiv say that the main question is whether Vladimir Putin is genuinely willing to sign a deal or if he's just stalling with staged negotiations to extend his military actions through the winter.
Winter months are particularly critical because many of Ukraine’s energy sources are either damaged or functioning below their full capacity.
However, it is now official since Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the US is asking Ukraine to pull its troops out of the Donbas region. He said that Washington suggested a compromise: Ukrainian forces would retreat, while Russian troops would remain in Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine viewed the plan as unfair unless there were guarantees that Russian troops would not seize the zone following a Ukrainian withdrawal.
He raised a valid question – who will govern this territory, which they are calling a ‘free economic zone’ or a ‘demilitarised zone?
Zelenskyy is right when he said that if one side’s forces have to retreat and the other stays put, what stops the Russians from pretending to be civilians and seizing control of this open economic zone?
He stated that if Ukraine adopted such a scheme, elections or a referendum would be required to ratify it, emphasising that only “the Ukrainian people” could decide on territorial concessions.
Zelenskyy has faced considerable pressure from Donald Trump to accept the US peace plan.
Recently, Trump criticised Zelenskyy, questioning his legitimacy, and also suggested that Ukraine should hold an election.
The actions and reactions of the US clearly show that Europe is no longer a priority for the Trump administration.
The White House press secretary has already suggested Trump's mood, stating that the president is very frustrated with both sides of this conflict and is tired of meetings held merely to convene.
The world is concerned that Putin's success in Ukraine could increase the risk of war in Europe.
The Baltic states are vulnerable from Russia's perspective.
During the 1930s, Europe ignored a major existential threat, resulting in millions experiencing its consequences.
Today, Europe needs to realise that its strength should be actively used to safeguard Ukraine's future and maintain stability throughout Europe.
Meanwhile, the EU has decided to indefinitely freeze Russia’s sovereign assets within its borders, as Moscow increases its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, which holds most of the Kremlin’s immobilized funds.
The EU's choice to deploy emergency powers to freeze €210bn of Russia’s central bank assets represents a significant move toward leveraging these funds to support Ukraine’s defense.
The move may seem like intense economic pressure on Russia, but that will not bring lasting peace.
It will only make future negotiations more complicated, if any occur at all.
Trump has never proposed any workable solution in the past 12 months of his presidency, and this proposal is also likely to fade away because it deserves to.