Ukraine’s NATO membership would not be a problem, at least in the near future. This plan is unlikely to suit Kiev, as it would in practice give Russia undisputed control over parts of eastern Ukraine, at least for a significant period of time
MEPs yesterday called on the European Union to take a strong stance against sabotage in the Baltic Sea, a week after two undersea cables were damaged in the area. A 1,000-kilometre-long cable connecting Finland to Germany and another connecting Sweden to Lithuania were damaged under the Baltic Sea last week.
Authorities suspect the involvement of the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, which was near the cables at the time of the damage and had previously been anchored in St Petersburg. Finnish and Swedish authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said “no one believes these cables were cut by accident”. The Yi Peng 3 is currently anchored in international waters between Sweden and Denmark, and Stockholm is calling for it to enter Swedish waters to facilitate the investigation.
HYBRID WARFARE
European Commission Commissioner Helena Dalli told the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday that Europe must be vigilant and cannot “stand by and let these incidents continue”. Conservative Latvian MEP Richard Kols said a damaged cable “could be a coincidence”, but only those “who pretend to be stupid” could ignore the coincidence in such a short period of time. Dutch liberal Bart Groothius has warned that Russia is mapping drinking water supplies in Sweden and Finland, as well as cargo plane traffic in Germany. “Why are we still talking about hybrid threats?
Isn’t this a clear sign of sabotage? It’s time for a tough response,” he said. The Dutchman claims that the Russian economy is in big trouble due to high inflation and interest rates and that it will run out of financial reserves within a year. “Russia will soon be a country with tanks but no food. Sanctions will work,” Groothius continued, and called on the EU to cooperate with the newly elected US president, Donald Trump, in the final blow to Russia, flooding the market with cheap oil, which will topple the regime in the Kremlin, but also in Iran.
TRUMP’S ENvoy
Meanwhile, it seems that Trump has other plans. He has appointed Keith Kellogg, a retired US colonel general, to the post of special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, the newly elected US president announced yesterday on his social network, Truth Social. Kellogg, who served as chief of staff of the White House National Security Council during Trump’s 2017-2021 term and national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence, is likely to play a central role in trying to resolve the conflict in his new position, according to Reuters. While there is currently no special envoy for the war in Ukraine, Trump previously announced he would create the position.
UKRAINE PLAN
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has said he will act quickly to end the more than 1,000-day war between Russia and Ukraine. However, he has not yet laid out specific plans or indicated exactly how he intends to do so. “Keith has led a distinguished military and business career, including serving in highly sensitive national security roles in my first administration,” Trump posted on social media. Kellogg’s plan to end the war involves freezing the current battle lines and forcing Kiev and Moscow to come to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June.
Kellogg drafted his plan for Ukraine with Fred Fleitz, who also served as Trump’s National Security Council chief of staff. Under their proposed strategy, the U.S. would tell Ukraine that it would only receive more U.S. weapons if it entered peace talks.
At the same time, the U.S. would warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased U.S. support for Ukraine. Ukraine’s membership in NATO would not be a problem, at least not in the immediate future. This plan is unlikely to sit well with Kiev, as it would effectively give Russia undisputed control over parts of eastern Ukraine, at least for a significant period of time. In addition, some Republicans, especially in the House of Representatives, are likely to be hesitant to agree to more aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters.
