A former senior diplomat in US president-elect Donald Trump’s first administration has called for increased pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine.
The former deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun said conditions are “present” for Trump to bridge negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but added that the president-elect could face a big challenge to engage Putin in talks.
“We expect that this will proceed relatively soon in the new year, when [Trump] is in office. There will be one major obstacle that the new president will face, which is, it does not seem to any of us at present that the Russians are prepared to negotiate,” he said.
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Biegun made the remarks at the University of Michigan on Tuesday night, where more than a dozen Ukraine policy experts – including former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba – gathered for a two-day discussion of options for the incoming president.
“The president should look at increasing the pressure on Russia, that if Russia feels that its interests are better pursued on the battlefield, that those realities have to change in a substantial way ... to encourage Russia to understand that its interests are better pursued at the negotiating table,” Biegun said.
Trump, who returns to the White House in January, has vowed to bring an early end to the prolonged conflict. He is reported to be considering multiple peace plans presented by his cabinet picks, including his nominee for special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and incoming vice-president J.D. Vance.
According to Reuters, Kellogg and Fred Fleitz – who served with him on the National Security Council in Trump’s first term – proposed to Trump earlier this year that Russia and Ukraine could freeze their current battlelines, along with Kyiv’s bid to join Nato.
Russia occupies nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, including most of the four eastern states that it unilaterally annexed in 2022. While Moscow’s advance continues slowly, Ukraine controls some parts of Russia’s Kursk region following a surprise offensive in August.
The Kremlin said this week that there are still no grounds for negotiations and that it is “too early” to discuss Kellogg’s plan. Many believe Putin has no rush for negotiations as many of his war objectives are yet to be fulfilled, including a full capture of the four Ukrainian states.
Kellogg has also suggested that Putin could be pressured into negotiations by warning him of increased US weapons support for Ukraine.
In a policy suggestion released on Wednesday, the expert panel suggested that a “frozen conflict” scenario must be linked with provisions for Ukraine’s security and a ceasefire must be enforced by troops on the ground.
They also said that the effort should be led by Nato’s European members, with support from Washington.
Included in the policy suggestions was “eventual” Nato membership for Kyiv. The experts also urged the US to reject Russia’s demand for “forced neutrality and de facto disarmament for Ukraine”.
The US and Europe should also not recognise Russia’s claims to Ukrainian territory and reject any change to its borders by force, they added.
Kuleba – who served as Ukraine’s top diplomat until a major government reshuffle in September – told the panel that Ukraine’s loss would not be in Washington’s interest, while affirming that the country’s Nato membership is “non-negotiable” with Russia.
“This is not something that Putin can bargain about,” said Kuleba. “This is something that only ... the United States and other allies will sit down with Ukraine and discuss when and how membership should happen.”
Kuleba said that he expects more battlefield escalations in coming weeks, as Ukraine and Russia want to “put themselves in the best position” upon Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
Asked about international perceptions towards Ukraine and the West, Kuleba said it was hard to change perspectives towards the war held by some countries, including in Africa and Southeast Asia.
“Africa is very complicated ... [they said] we sympathise, but we cannot do anything against Russia. The underlying reason for that is, of course, because they’re afraid of retaliation and of China, because they know that going against Russia means going against China.”
Kuleba has travelled around the world to gain international support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022. Most Global South nations – including Brazil, Indonesia, India, and South Africa – have maintained neutrality because of their ties with Russia.
China – which insists it is neutral in the face of Western scrutiny over alleged support for Russia’s circumvention of sanctions – unveiled a Ukraine peace road map with Brazil earlier this year, which called for a ceasefire and direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
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