Donald Trump’s reported peace plan for Ukraine and Russia would lead to a demilitarised zone similar to the one that separates North Korea and South Korea, an expert tells the Daily Express.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Trump plans on freezing the conflict to set up a demilitarised zone following his victory in the US election this week.
This could prove controversial, however, as the reported plan also includes Russia keeping the Ukrainian territory that it still occupies and freezing Kyiv’s NATO bid for 20 years.
A source from the Trump team added: “We can do training and other support but the barrel of the gun is going to be European.
“We are not sending American men and women to uphold peace in Ukraine. And we are not paying for it. Get the Poles, Germans, British, and French to do it.”
Defence and security analyst, Nicholas Drummond, tells the Daily Express that while the reported plan is just “speculation”, if enacted, it could come with new risks.
He added: “It could look like that [North Korea and South Korea’s border]. I think we have learned that we cannot trust Putin. We have seen a new military tactic in Ukraine where he has threatened the use of nuclear weapons against the West if we interfere.
“And yet he has used conventional weapons to sort Ukraine. Will he go as far as using nuclear weapons? It is a gamble. I think the risk is a war starting from miscalculation.
“There are these issues behind the scenes that could make a demilitarised zone redundant…it is difficult, there are a lot of details that would need to be worked out.”
The DMZ, also known as the 38th Parallel, was established as a buffer zone in 1953 after the Korean war.
It is 250 kilometers long and four kilometres wide. Soldiers from both North and South Korea stand yards apart at the border as they guard their territory.
At the centre of the DMZ is a meeting point where negotiations can take place between the two sides.
