WASHINGTON ¨C The confusion still swirling in Washington over President Donald Trump¡¯s latest peace plan for Ukraine has made at least one thing clear: The U.S. president¡¯s unconventional, all-in approach to diplomacy carries big risks ¡ª both domestic and geopolitical ¡ª as well as potential rewards. The Russia-friendly peace plan that emerged two weeks ago bore many of the hallmarks of Trumpian diplomacy visible in crises from Gaza and Iran to Venezuela. It came as a surprise, demanded painful concessions from the parties involved, set a short deadline and featured freelance diplomacy by officials willing to overlook the concerns of traditional policy experts and senior figures in Trump¡¯s own Republican Party.
Above all, Trump put himself in the middle, opining on social media and throwing his support behind the plan.
That approach has yielded some successes, most notably a ceasefire in Gaza that eluded Trump¡¯s predecessor Joe Biden. But so far, the unexpected plan to end the war in Ukraine ¡ª and revelations that Russian officials had a hand in its creation ¡ª has stirred harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers, exasperation from European allies and confusion inside the administration. And it carries political danger for Trump, said Republican strategist Alex Conant. The president¡¯s political base has strongly backed him so far, but with worries rising about the U.S. economy, voters could see him as deeply involved in overseas crises at the expense of concerns at home.
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