Two of Donald Trump's key national security advisers have presented him with a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine - if he wins the presidential election.
These are retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who were chiefs of staff of Trump's National Security Council during his presidency in 2017-2021, Reuters reports.
According to Kellogg, the plan stipulates that Ukraine will receive American weapons only if it enters into peace talks with Russia.
At the same time, the United States will warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate will lead to increased American support for Ukraine.
According to the plan, during the peace talks, there would be a ceasefire - on the main combat lines.
Fleitz noted that they presented their strategy to Trump and the former president responded positively. "I'm not saying that he agreed with it or agreed with every word, but we were happy to get feedback," he said.
To add, according to Kellogg and Fleitz, additional security guarantees for Ukraine are needed to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine. Fleitz added that "arming Ukraine to the teeth" is likely to be a key element of this.
However, Trump's spokesman Steven Cheung said that only statements made by Trump or authorised members of his campaign staff should be considered official.
The strategy outlined by Kellogg and Fleitz is the most detailed plan yet by Trump's associates, who have previously said he could "quickly resolve the war in Ukraine if he defeats President Joe Biden in the November 5 election", although he has not provided specific details.
"This proposal would mean a significant change in the US position on the war and would face opposition from European allies and within Trump's Republican Party," the newspaper said.
The Kremlin said that any peace plan proposed by a possible future Trump administration should "reflect the real situation".
The main elements of the plan were outlined in a publicly available research paper published by the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-friendly think tank where Kellogg and Fleitz hold senior positions.