After Donald Trump won the election, the world focused on the topic of the war in Ukraine and what might change when Trump comes to power and replaces Joe Biden. The Republican candidate has promised to end the war "within 24 hours" but has not provided specific details on how he intends to do so. During the election campaign, he hinted that uncertainty is part of his negotiating tactics. "I can't give you those plans because if I give them to you, I won't be able to use them," Trump said.

However, while Trump kept his plans to himself, several key points "leaked" to the public from his circle of associates. Brian Lanza, an adviser close to Trump, told the BBC that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's main goal is a peace deal with Russia, not the return of lost territories. Lanza said: "When Zelensky says that the fighting will stop only when Crimea is returned, we have bad news for him: Crimea is lost forever." According to him, Trump will ask Kiev for a "realistic vision of peace". A spokesperson for the Trump campaign immediately denied Lanza's claims, saying that Lanza was not speaking for Trump, but it was clear that certain strategies were being considered.

One of the key elements of Trump's plan includes the establishment of a buffer zone of almost 1.300 kilometers between the Russian and Ukrainian armies, without the participation of American troops in securing that zone. Instead, Trump intends to encourage European and British troops to take on that responsibility, which would reduce the United States' direct involvement in the conflict. A member of Trump's team told the Wall Street Journal: “We are not sending Americans to keep the peace in Ukraine. And we don't pay for it. Let the Poles, the Germans, the British and the French do it." This plan calls for Ukraine to commit to not joining NATO for the next 20 years, further reducing tensions between NATO and Russia.

This strategy has met with serious warnings from Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed concern about any plan that would include concessions to Moscow, saying it would be "suicide" for Europe. At the Budapest summit, he declared that "a just peace cannot be bought by showing weakness." His words were a clear message that Ukraine would not bow to pressure to reach a compromise that would support Russian territorial gains.

Trump's plan, explained by his aides, involves freezing the current front line, with territories occupied by Russia remaining under its control, at least temporarily. This proposal aims to create a situation in which Ukraine will abandon NATO integration in the long term, and the conflict will be suspended without new fights, but also without an immediate solution. The plan further calls for the US to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons to deter Russia from further action.

At the same time, the details of this plan indicate the possibility of engaging European peacekeeping forces to secure the demilitarized zone, while the US would provide training and logistical support. According to the Wall Street Journal, a Trump adviser said that "the US can provide training and other support, but the gun barrels will be European."