Trump unconcerned with terms of Ukraine-Russia peace deal – diplomat Bryza

This perspective was expressed by Matthew Bryza, former advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State and former director for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. National Security Council, during an interview with Espreso.

" When it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he sees it as a transaction. He wants credit for making a deal. He does not care about injustice or the danger that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses to the international order and to Europe. He cares about the transaction. He wants to be the one who makes the deal and persuades Ukraine and Russia to agree to end the war. He does not really care what the terms are; he just wants to be the one who makes it happen," Bryza said.

Bryza added that Trump is focused solely on achieving agreements without a deeper structure or philosophical foundation. This approach, according to Bryza, mirrors Trump's well-known book The Art of the Deal.

Bryza criticized Trump’s lack of regard for international law or historical precedents. He explained that Trump's rhetoric, such as reclaiming the Panama Canal or acquiring Greenland and Canada, undermines the U.S.’s moral and legal stance against actions like China's potential takeover of Taiwan or Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

"Once President Trump starts talking about the use of military or economic force to recover territories or to acquire territories in Greenland, Panama, or Canada, he opens Pandora's box on the world stage. He then loses any real legal or moral justification to oppose actions like China seizing Taiwan or Russia not only continuing its invasion of Ukraine but potentially targeting Eastern Poland or the Baltic states as well", Bryza said.

For the Kremlin, this aligns well with Putin’s agenda, Bryza noted. Trump’s approach reinforces Putin’s narrative that Ukraine and Russia are one country, legitimizing Russia's claim over Ukrainian territories.

"From the Kremlin’s perspective, they could argue that what Putin is doing is less radical than what Trump is advocating. Putin, according to his own claims, is merely trying to restore Russian control over what he asserts was always Russian territory. Of course, I do not agree with this perspective, but from Putin’s point of view, Trump seems to be engaging in an imperialistic quest. During the election campaign, Trump spoke of a nationalistic foreign policy, a policy of America First, retrenchment, and isolationism. However, in these past few days, what Trump has been discussing appears to focus on imperialism, about building a new United States empire. This must be music to the ears of Vladimir Putin and his colleagues in the Kremlin," Bryza summarized.

• U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said that preparations are underway for his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.