Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly hopes to exploit any effort by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to enforce a de facto capitulation of Ukraine. How might this plan unfold, and what should EU countries do now?
This is how an ideal scenario might look for Russia:
Step 1: Trump wants a deal, so Putin might agree if a ceasefire recognizes Russia’s “legitimate interests”: around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory would fall under Russian control, including Crimea, and Western economic sancti