It is too early to talk about feasibility of Trump’s plan – Malek Dudakov

Speaking with Alpha News, Americanist Malek Dudakov commented on US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine. According to the political scientist, it is too early to talk about the feasibility of Trump’s plan.

“In my view, it is premature to judge whether Trump’s plan for Ukraine is realistic or not. This is simply because this plan is literally being shaped right now, before our eyes. There’s the original 28-point document, approved by the Trump administration after contacts with the Russian side. But, as we can see, it is apparently already being changed—following parallel contacts between the US administration and Ukrainian lobbyists and representatives of the European elite. That is, the future version of the plan will likely be more ‘hawkish’ and, accordingly, less realistic. Even the original 28-point draft contained many questions: how to implement certain decisions, how sanctions would be lifted, what would happen to Russian assets, how a neutral zone would be established in Donbas, and so on. Not everything there is entirely in line with our national interests either. But the plan currently being negotiated with the Ukrainian side will, it seems, be even less aligned with our demands and conditions. Therefore, it is impossible to say that the plan could be implemented quickly,” Dudakov said.

According to the expert, we are now witnessing a serious split within the Trump administration, and whichever interest group wins will determine the final shape of the plan.

“We’re currently seeing a serious split within the Trump administration. There are hawks like Marco Rubio, who are willing to accommodate Ukrainian lobbyists. And then there are realists like JD Vance and Steve Witkoff, whose position is closer to Russia’s approach to resolving the Ukrainian crisis. The internal standoff between these groups continues. Whichever side wins will ultimately define the plan. Then we’ll be able to assess its feasibility. If a more balanced option is presented, there is a chance. If the hard line prevails, the negotiating track will inevitably stall again—simply because the Ukrainian side has no intention of accepting Russia’s terms. Russia, in turn, will never accept the terms proposed by Western and Ukrainian ‘hawks’,” Dudakov concluded.