Trump military aides say they’ve given him detailed plan to pressure Ukraine into peace talks with Putin

Donald Trump has been presented with a plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine by two key advisers that would require Kyiv to sit down for peace talks with Russia or receive no further US weapons.

The strategy, which would only be actionable in the event that the Republican presidential contender beats Joe Biden to the White House in November, would conversely see Moscow threatened with increased American support for Ukraine if it refused to participate in the negotiations.

The proposition was devised by retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg and national security expert Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump’s National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, and divulged in an interview with Reuters.

“We tell the Ukrainians, ‘You’ve got to come to the table, and if you don’t come to the table, support from the United States will dry up,’” Kellogg told the news agency.

“And you tell Putin, ‘He’s got to come to the table and if you don’t come to the table, then we’ll give Ukrainians everything they need to kill you in the field.’”

Under Kellogg and Fleitz’s plan, a ceasefire would be declared along current battle lines in order to allow the talks to progress, with the Kremlin promised that Ukraine’s application to join Nato would be postponed as a further enticement.

Trump has repeatedly boasted at his campaign rallies and in interviews that Russian president Vladimir Putin would never have been emboldened to invade the country’s western neighbour if he had remained in the Oval Office and insisted he can swiftly resolve the conflict, without going into specifics.

Fleitz told Reuters that Trump had reacted positively to their idea, before adding: “I’m not claiming he agreed with it or