European troops in Ukraine: How Trump plans to involve the EU in ending the conflict.

The current congressman from Florida, Mike Waltz, who will become Trump's national security advisor after the inauguration, claims that the 47th President of the United States will immediately address the issue of resolving the Russia-Ukraine war upon returning to the White House.

In this context, Mr. Waltz noted that the administration will primarily discuss how to bring both sides to the negotiating table and what the parameters of a peace agreement will be. He stated that one of the key goals will be to involve European countries in the negotiation process. "All our allies and partners need to carry this burden," he said during an appearance on Fox News.

The future Trump advisor also commented on the Biden administration's decision to allow Ukraine to use anti-personnel landmines. Waltz, noting that these are "reasonable mines," insisted that the decision "must be framed more broadly to put an end to this conflict."

"This is simply an absolute meat grinder of people and equipment on this front. It resembles trench warfare from World War I. President Trump is incredibly concerned about the bloody slaughter happening there and how we can restore deterrence and establish peace," he said. Additionally, the future Trump national security advisor pointed out that the Biden administration's authorization for ATACMS strikes on Russian territory is leading to escalation. "We need to bring this to a responsible conclusion... We must restore deterrence, reestablish peace, and get ahead of this escalation rather than react to it," Mike Waltz concluded.

Is there really an opportunity window opening after the stalled negotiations?

"The statement from Trump's future national security advisor that involving European countries in the negotiation process will be a key element for the White House signals an attempt at delegating some component of the peace negotiations to Europe. If scenarios involving peacekeeping missions and so on are activated, why shouldn't the United States leverage a portion of European troops? I think that's a quite possible option. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that Trump’s team is gradually moving away from their rhetoric about ending the war in 24 hours. This indicates that Trump at least recognizes the seriousness of the situation, because there is still no real understanding — just an illusion of understanding that will soon dissipate," the expert states.

He believes that the negotiation process, if aimed at establishing a just peace, will be "very slow," because whether we like it or not, we will have to listen to what the Russians are saying: "The Kremlin is ready for negotiations, but only on terms that take into account all their whims. This means one thing: it won't be done the way wants Trump, and if it isn't, he will try in every way possible to make it happen somehow."

In response to a clarifying question about whether he sees any light at the end of the tunnel for negotiations soon after Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025, Oleg Lisnyy emphasized: "I see it, but the main thing is that it shouldn't be the light from an oncoming train. However, I am impressed by the very figure of Trump’s future national security advisor, as Michael Waltz is not just a well-educated person, but also someone who has fought. In this sense, his statements seem more reasonable compared to those systematically made by other Republicans and Trump's close associates. I believe that if people like Waltz advise the 47th President of the United States, there will be some rationale, because stopping everything quickly, as President Zelensky said recently, can indeed be done easily, but it would mean Ukraine's defeat and subsequently the defeat of the United States."

In fact, if we consider Trump's desire or unwillingness to lose, the political scientist concludes, "that is where the light may appear": "Yes, initially this light will definitely not be what we want, and negotiations will ultimately hit a dead end, but alongside this, a window of opportunity will open. What will this window look like? I think the Ukrainian side will demonstrate maximum constructiveness and readiness for negotiations, but an unwillingness to make concessions that are categorically unacceptable. At the same time, Putin will continue to stand firm and pressure Trump. And it is here that this window of opportunity opens, because Trump really dislikes being pressured and may resort to such drastic moves that Biden, given his psychotype and team (Sullivan and company), could not.

When discussing what these drastic moves by Trump might be, Oleg Lesnoy noted that it could likely involve providing Kyiv with "everything that the United States can possibly offer" to secure victory in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Why Trump supporters have a misguided perception of the Russia-Ukraine war

This approach towards Europe is considered erroneous by Mikhail Gonchar, as it dilutes the unified West's strength in light of the articulated U.S. position that the main threat to America is China: "Attempting to somehow detach Russia from China, which is its organic ally, is absolutely futile and will not succeed. I hope that this realization will eventually reach the minds of normal, reasonable Republicans."

In this context, the expert refers to former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's speech at the International Security Forum held last weekend in Halifax. During her speech, the former leader of Taiwan noted that the United States should primarily assist Ukraine. Despite the looming threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, she stated, "we still have time, so the U.S. must do everything possible to help the Ukrainians."

According to Mikhail Gonchar, Tsai Ing-wen's statement is "extremely important and correct" in the sense that if the U.S. does not counter Russia in Europe, it is China that will ultimately deal a strategic blow to the United States, acting far from its shores and using Russia as a disruptor of the established world order.

The expert also expressed hope that in the time remaining before Trump's inauguration, at least some members of his future administration will undergo a transformation of the perception of the Russia-Ukraine war "from distorted to something more or less adequate." When asked how justified these hopes might ultimately be, the expert quoted the well-known saying: "Contra spem spero," meaning, we hope against hope. Alongside this, Mikhail Gonchar, recalling that during his previous presidential term, Trump changed a total of six national security advisors, emphasized that we should not absolutize Mr. Waltz or his messages regarding the cessation of the Russia-Ukraine war.