Trump Must Force Putin's Hand For Any Hope Of Peace Deal, Says Ex-UK Ambassador To Russia
President Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine and bring peace to Europe (Alamy)
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A Ukraine peace deal will only happen if US president Donald Trump threatens to throw his “full weight" behind the war-torn country, a former UK ambassador to Russia has said.
Sir Roderic Lyne, the British ambassador to Moscow between 2000-2004, said that a peace deal with acceptable terms for Ukraine will only be possible if Trump puts Russian president Vladimir Putin "on the spot".
"Thus far, Putin has not hinted at any concessions and has not been put under pressure by the Trump administration.
"However, should a joint proposal be agreed between Ukraine, a “coalition of the willing” and the United States, he would have a decision to make," Lyne wrote in The House magazine.
“Trump claims Putin is persuadable.
“I’d love to believe it, but I fear Putin would seek to attach impossible terms to any conditional Russian acceptance and then blame Nato and Ukraine for continuation of the war."
The diplomat, who was serving for prime minister Tony Blair when Putin first became Russia's president in 2000, said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky "has done all that has been asked of him" and that "only the Russians" can stop the war.
“That’s why it’s critical that Putin is now put on the spot," he wrote.
"Trump needs to offer him terms which the Ukrainians and their support team can accept.
“He should leave Putin in no doubt that, if Russia rejects the chance to halt the war and begin negotiations for a just settlement, the US would throw its full weight behind Ukraine.
"That’s the only possible chance of success.”
Trump promised to end the Ukraine war in one day before returning to the White House.
In recent weeks, however, his approach to ending the conflict has created a defence crisis for European countries and led to accusations that he is siding with Moscow.
This week he paused military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, despite warnings that these steps could give Russia a major advantage in the war, though US officials have suggested they could be reversed if Zelensky satisfies Trump's demands.
Lyne stressed that Putin's vision for Ukraine is unacceptable for the UK and its allies, writing that the Russian president wants nothing short of “complete control" of the country.
Putin wants the Ukrainian people to capitulate to Russian aggression and be ruled by a "puppet government, nominally autonomous but anchored to Moscow".
He added: “[Putin] will also bid for the immediate lifting of sanctions.
"More than that, Putin wants recognition of an exclusive Russian 'zone of influence', embracing (at least) the states which comprised the Soviet Union 34 years ago.
“When [Putin] talks about revisiting the 'roots of the conflict', he is calling into question the very foundation of Ukraine as a nation, the break-up of the Soviet Union, the security architecture established in Europe following the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the entirely legitimate enlargement of Nato.”
The former ambassador said Putin would be faced with a dilemma if Trump confronted him with a ceasefire offer. Despite the US president thawing the country’s relationship with Moscow, Lyne said Putin would be wary of overplaying his hand.
“On the one hand, [Putin] would not wish to alienate Trump, from whom he has received unrequited benefits (the restoration of diplomatic contacts; the promise of three summits; moves to reopen economic links entailing the lifting of sanctions; even US sponsorship to rejoin the G7),” he said.
“On the other, Russia has adamantly ruled out accepting a coalition of the willing being deployed to protect the ceasefire.”
