Donald Trump must steer clear of the "Budapest trap" and avoid repeating the mistake of Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who conceded to Hitler in 1938 for the sake of "peace in our time."
This was stated by political analyst Mark Thiessen in an article for The Washington Post. The expert recalled the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, under which Ukraine, having given up its third-largest nuclear arsenal, received assurances from Russia, the USA, and the UK regarding the respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"These guarantees turned out to be empty. In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea," emphasized Thiessen.
The expert draws three key conclusions from this history. First, he is convinced that Russia will violate any international agreement it signs, and the only way to stop it is to demonstrate that the capture of Ukraine is impossible. Secondly, Thiessen highlights that Western security guarantees are meaningless without corresponding military support. He believes that for lasting peace, the Kremlin must understand that any aggression against Ukraine will lead to war not only with Ukraine but also with the West. Finally, it is crucial for Ukraine itself to be strong enough militarily to deter further Russian expansion attempts.
"If Trump wants to avoid presiding over such a historical failure as Budapest, he must avoid the trap of trying to appease Putin with promises of Ukrainian neutrality and disarmament," concludes Thiessen.
Source: washingtonpost.