Trump says he has already spoken with Ukraine about the territories he will lose.

WashingtonDonald Trump has revealed more details about the ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. Just after Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin has been reluctant to accept the truce Under the proposed terms, the US president said he has already spoken with Kiev about which territories he will lose. "We have been talking with Ukraine about the lands and portions of territory that would be retained and those that would be lost, as well as all the other elements of a final agreement," Trump said during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday.

Trump appears to have already accepted one of the first concessions to Russia: that Kiev will not be able to return to its pre-2014 borders. He also pointed to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as a critical point in the negotiations: "Is there a power plant affected, a power plant that is affected? You know, it's not an easy process." Zaporizhia, which is in Russian-occupied territory, is one of the ten largest nuclear power plants in the world. "If none of that had happened, I don't think they would have had to give anything in return," Trump said, once again trying to portray the conflict as a war between two hostile countries and not as a result of the Russian invasion.

Beyond the territorial issue, for Moscow, one of the primary causes of the aggression against Ukraine was the possibility of NATO expanding eastward. Last July, the allies pledged to make Kiev's accession to the Atlantic Alliance "irreversible." "We're going to discuss what happens between Ukraine and Russia," Trump told Rutte in the Oval Office.

The US president once again emphasized that he wants to end the war, which entails "an enormous cost for the United States and other countries as well." Rather than speaking to Rutte, he could be said to be addressing the Russian president: "We would like to see a ceasefire from Russia."

Trump has once again emphasized the idea that he is "on the other side of the ocean" to emphasize how "unfair" it is, in his opinion, that the US has to take a leading role in the Ukrainian conflict. "We are on the other side of the ocean, and they are right there... It's unfair," he emphasized. For his part, Rutte emphasized that one of the reasons for the visit is precisely to discuss "defense production."

The existence of NATO

The former Dutch prime minister arrived in the capital at a time of low pressure for relations between the United States and the rest of the allies, given the recent rapprochement with Moscow. Last Thursday, Trump hinted from the Oval Office that Washington would not defend allies that do not meet the 2% target. "That's common sense, right?" Trump told reporters. "If they don't pay, I will not defend them. No, I will not defend them." This Thursday, facing Rutte, the president asserted that "NATO will be much stronger because of my actions."

The idea, beyond being a threat to spur countries that do not meet the defense spending threshold, also appears to be on the table. According to NBC last week, the US president was reportedly speaking with his advisors about the possibility of not defending a NATO member country that is attacked if it does not meet the defense spending threshold. Trump has repeatedly criticized allies for not contributing enough to defense.

The tone of the meeting contrasted with previous attacks on the organization, and he congratulated Rutte for leading the NATO alliance and favorably acknowledged that "NATO is intensifying its actions." Trump's repeated attacks on NATO have led to the consideration of the United States' withdrawal from the NATO. Given this context, other countries such as France and the United Kingdom have already rushed to approach Trump directly to also conclude defense agreements. These two countries, along with Poland, Germany, and other European partners, are forming independent NATO blocs to continue militarily strengthening Ukraine in the face of Washington's waning support.

Impact on Europe

Europe already understood at the Munich Security Conference that it will increasingly have to rely on itself to defend itself against a possible Russian attack. Trump's latest moves, militarily suffocating Ukraine to force it to yield to his negotiating conditions, have only reinforced that feeling. The US president has downplayed the fear of European partners: "I don't think Russia would attack our allies." The statement is hard to swallow given that on another occasion, the president asserted that he would encourage Moscow to attack allies that did not contribute the 2% of defense spending.

Trump's attacks on NATO not only weaken it out of fear that its main partner would cut aid or withdraw, but also because the rest of the allies are beginning to create alliances outside the umbrella of the military organization. The Atlantic Alliance risks losing its central role as a defense authority for its partners, which would further call into question the justification for its existence in the face of allies that fail to meet minimum defense spending standards and the United States, which believes it pays too much.