Despite widespread concerns over Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, a former MI6 chief has offered a contrasting view, suggesting it could ultimately benefit Ukraine. Sir Richard Dearlove’s comments come amid leaked plans hinting at a softer approach, but he believes Trump might be the one to take a tougher stance against Vladimir Putin.
Reports even suggest Trump may authorise Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russia. According to the Sun, Sir Dearlove stated that Trump wouldn’t “risk his reputation as a strong president by selling Ukraine down the river”.
He cautioned against alarmism, urging a more balanced and reserved approach, saying: “An awful lot of people are throwing their toys out of the pram and being very alarmed at this point in time. But I think we need to be much more balanced, much more reserved and, you know, take stock.”
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Sir Dearlove acknowledged that Trump’s administration would likely push for a deal or settlement in Ukraine, generating momentum for a resolution. Following his election win, Trump reportedly discussed plans to end the war with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
The Wall Street Journal suggests Trump’s proposal involves a demilitarised zone along the front line and a 20-year commitment from Kyiv not to join NATO. In return, the US would continue to arm Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression, but would not provide troops to enforce the buffer zone or finance the mission, reports the Express.
Ukraine has been vying for permission to utilise American and British long-range missile systems, arguing that this would significantly alter the course of the conflict by allowing them to strike deeper into Russian territory without air force cover. Despite this, Western allies have hesitated to agree, wary of escalating tensions between Putin and NATO.
Sir Dearlove remarked: “I think that Trump is less risk averse than Biden was in terms of how American weapons might be used in Ukraine. So you could imagine a situation where he takes the restraints off Ukrainian use of longer range American missile capability which the Ukrainians will have.”
He also mentioned: “The military balance that could be changed very rapidly if the Ukrainians are given the green light to strike more deeply into Russia. They’re fighting at a disadvantage that we all know about.”
Furthermore, Sir Dearlove pointed out that Putin has shown respect for Trump, potentially benefiting Ukraine’s stance. Following words of praise from Putin over Trump’s ‘manly’ reaction to his attempted assassination and readiness to engage in dialogue, Sir Dearlove considers it “certainly possible” that Trump might effectively pressure Putin into negotiations.
He commented: “I’ve always believed talking to ones enemies, if it’s possible, is probably better than having no lines of communication at all. The context of a talk between Putin and Trump is, in fact, Russian logistics in relation to the Ukrainian war, taking a bigger hammering.”
“We all know that Trump is transactional. You go into transactional negotiations with an advantage so I don’t think he’s going to want to play a weak hand.”
“And I just don’t see Trump in current circumstances selling Ukraine down the river, you know.”