Why Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine could spell the end of Nato

Donald Trump said in May 2023 that he would sit down with Vladimir Putin and Ukraine 's president.

But he has offered no more detail on what the world can expect from his peace initiative.

Ukraine continues to lose small amounts of territory to the invader, at an enormous cost in lives to Russia .

The conflict in Ukraine has prompted many Nato countries to increase defence spending.

There is widespread scepticism about Trump 's ability to end the war as swiftly as he hopes.

To do so without signalling to Putin that his aggression has worked, to avoid undermining Nato and to limit the likelihood of further assaults, Putin would have to make some sort of concession.

But America , which in 2023 spent $ 916bn on defence more than any other nation on earth is the foundation on which Nato rests.

The next U.S. administration may seek to convene some sort of conference about Ukraine before too long.

But Europe has the most to lose from an outcome that emboldens Putin to make further territorial claims.

The recent shooting down of an Azerbaijani airliner is precisely the sort of act that seems to confirm Russia as rogue state.