Former President Donald Trump is reportedly pursuing an unprecedented peace plan for Ukraine that would involve massive business deals with Vladimir Putin's Russia, potentially channelling billions of dollars into the American economy while ending the conflict.
The Miami Negotiations
According to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal, Trump's inner circle has been actively negotiating with Russian officials on how to bring Russia's $2 trillion economy "in from the cold". The talks have involved key figures including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The negotiations reached a crucial stage when Witkoff hosted a secret meeting at his waterfront Miami Beach estate. Among the attendees were Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's handpicked negotiator, and Kushner himself. The objective was twofold: devise a strategy to end the war in Ukraine while ensuring American businesses would outmanoeuvre their European counterparts in accessing Russian markets post-conflict.
The $300 Billion Proposal
Central to the proposed agreement is the fate of $300 billion in Russian central bank assets currently frozen in Europe. Dmitriev has pushed for these funds to be redirected toward joint US-Russian investment projects and what's being termed as a "US-led reconstruction" of Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff expressed the philosophy behind the approach to The Wall Street Journal, stating: "Russia has so many vast resources, vast expanses of land. If we do all that, and everybody's prospering and they're all a part of it, and there's upside for everybody, that's going to naturally be a bulwark against future conflicts there. Because everybody's thriving."
Presidential advisors apparently view post-war Russia as a golden opportunity for American investors. One reportedly described it as Trump's "Art of the Deal" approach: "Look, I'm settling this thing and there's huge economic benefits for doing that for America, right?"
Space Cooperation and European Tensions
The ambitious proposals extend beyond terrestrial concerns. Reportedly discussed was a potential joint mission between Elon Musk's SpaceX and Russia to reach Mars - representing a dramatic shift from the competitive space race dynamics of the 20th century.
Russia's strategy, according to the report, aims to convince the Trump administration that the country represents a "land of opportunity" rather than a threat. The Kremlin hopes to "reshape the economic map of Europe" while creating friction between the United States and its European allies.
This development follows last week's leak of Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the Ukraine war, which was widely criticised by European countries as being excessively favourable to Russia. The proposed agreement would:
- Allow Russia to keep occupied territories including Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk
- Freeze conflict lines at Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts
- Permanently bar Ukraine from NATO membership
- Lift all sanctions on Russia and reintegrate it into the global economy
In exchange, Ukraine would receive looser security guarantees from the US and NATO. Another draft agreement suggests NATO would treat any attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire "transatlantic community".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signalled to citizens that he may not achieve all his objectives, acknowledging in a recorded speech: "Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest. Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner." He committed to working calmly with the US and other partners throughout the peace process.
The revelations come as Trump campaigned last year on promises to end the Ukraine conflict on "day one" of his potential presidency. However, the situation has proven more complex than anticipated, with both sides maintaining firmly opposed positions.
