No matter what you think of Trump, he proved his ability to perform miracles.  The first was on November 8, 2016, when, being a businessman and political novice, he defeated Washington insider, former secretary of state, and former first lady Hillary Clinton.  He did it contrary to all polls, performing one of the biggest political upsets in American history.

Trump’s second miracle occurred on November 5, 2024, when he won the presidential election in a landslide despite over a hundred lawsuits and thirty-four felony convictions, along with charges of fraud, election subversion, and obstruction.  Trump could get 187 years in jail for all these crimes.  Add to his misfortunes two attempts on his life.  It looks as if someone is watching him from above.

Now the big question is whether we will witness the third Trump miracle: ending the war in Ukraine, thus becoming a peacemaker and saving the world from Armageddon.  Of course, he cannot do too much before January 20, when he moves into the White House, except plan different scenarios, which means that Biden and Co. still have a few weeks to mess around.

Almost everyone agrees that if we survive until January 20, some deal seems likely, but the devil is in the details.  The war party is not ready to give up the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, claiming that anything short of total West victory would only embolden Russia, which will invade NATO countries in the not so distant future, and also compound the threats from China, Iran, and North Korea. 

No one admits that had Washington accepted Ukraine’s neutral status, Russia would not have invaded in the first place.  Many well known American experts, including members of Congress, emphasize that the U.S. would do the same to Mexico if it had decided to join an anti-American military alliance with Russia or China.  Also, contrary to the U.S., neither China nor Iran, nor North Korea, is on the record invading other countries.  

For the war party, using relatively cheap Ukrainian cannon fodder is an additional incentive.  Indeed, so far, there have been no American casualties, and Washington has spent around 300 billion dollars on this war.  However, during the post-9/11 “War on Terror,” according to Brown University’s “Costs of War” research, over 27 thousand U.S. and allied military troops were killed, and close to 8 trillion U.S. taxpayer funds were spent.

Many U.S. companies, like BlackRock, have already acquired many Ukrainian lands and natural resources and are not ready to give them up if Trump considers this part of the deal.  He still has a month to strategize, and plenty of solicited or unsolicited scenarios are floating around.

Everyone understands that Zelensky’s dreams of NATO membership are unrealistic.  At least seven NATO countries, including the United States, are reported to oppose Ukraine’s entry or want to defer it indefinitely.

Some European leaders could pledge to send their military to Ukraine as peacekeepers.  Still, considering their low ratings, this idea would be less popular at home, especially since Trump said to count America out of this group.  He and the people he has picked for the most senior positions in foreign policy and national security are primarily concerned about China, and they want to delegate Europe taking responsibility when dealing with Ukraine.  According to the New York Times, another possible model — arms neutrality — would require Russia to pledge not to attack Ukraine and for Ukraine to forswear both NATO membership and the deployment of foreign troops and armaments on its soil.  It may also be the most achievable outcome, since Putin has said neutrality is essential for “good-neighborly relations.”

It may be hard to imagine such relations between Russia and Ukraine at this time, but if, on January 21, Trump calls Putin and suggests a summit, they could make a historic deal.  The meeting place could be somewhere in Europe.  Budapest, considering its peace initiatives, would be one of the most preferred locations.

This horrible war has continued for more than 1,000 days.  It has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, destroyed large parts of Ukraine, and threatened nuclear Armageddon.  It is time to end it.  If Trump performs his third miracle, he will grow his place in the annals of American and world history.

Image via Raw Pixel.