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Trump Considering Helping Ukraine in Return for Its Temporary Refusal to Join NATO – Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The team of US President-elect Donald Trump has proposed to freeze the Ukrainian conflict and provide new arms supplies in exchange for Kiev's refusal to join NATO for at least 20 years, the Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Thursday, citing sources.
Sputnik
The newspaper reported that this idea also includes creating an 800-mile demilitarized zone but it remains unclear who would police the territory. The "peacekeeping force" would not involve US troops, nor come from a US-funded international body, such as the United Nations, the report added. A Trump adviser also said, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal, that Europeans should maintain peace in Ukraine. However, the US leader has not approved any of these plans yet.
The presidential election took place in the United States on Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris represented the Democratic Party, while Trump ran for the Republican Party.
Trump is projected to win a second term as president of the United States with 295 electoral votes, versus 226 votes for Harris. This marks a historic comeback for the Republican, who lost the 2020 US presidential race to outgoing President Joe Biden.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward initiatives for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine: Moscow will immediately cease fire and declare its readiness for negotiations after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of Russia's new regions. In addition, Kiev should declare it is renouncing its intention to join NATO and also carry out demilitarization and denazification, as well as accept a neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status. The Russian leader also mentioned the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Analysis
Trump vs. Harris: What Lies Ahead for Ukraine and Russia-NATO Relations After US Election?
After Ukrainian troops attacked Russia's Kursk Region in August, Putin called negotiations with Kiev an impossible prospect. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow's peace proposals had not been voided, but Russia would not engage with Ukraine at this point.
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