Putin's hard-line stance makes Trump's peace mission in Ukraine more complex

Vladimir Putin made his stance clear about a year ago: his demands for Ukraine remain unchanged and non-negotiable (including territorial gains NATO-ban and military limits)

The war situation shows troubling signs: Ukraine faces resource shortages while Russia gets extra firepower from its industry and North-Korea. Russian forces use over 100 guided-bombs daily which creates a hard-to-manage front-line situation; their troops move forward bit-by-bit since mid-2023

The peace-talk landscape looks complex: Putin wants things that would leave Ukraine defenseless — its a red flag for Western allies. His long-running goal to keep Ukraine under Russias control wont change anytime soon; this makes any quick-fix solutions unlikely

Here are key problems Ukraine deals with:

• Low troop numbers and training issues
• Less artillery shells than Russia
• Weak air defense system
• damaged power stations
• limited western investment

The US could help change this situation. When Donald Trump takes office he should use remaining military aid funds and push for a new Ukraine support package. The aid needs to focus on essential items: artillery ammo anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles

Trumpʼs team should also look at expanding Ukraines strike capabilities: they need more long-range missiles (like ATACMS or JASSM) and fewer limits on their use. Getting Germany to share its Taurus missiles could be another good move

Economic pressure remains crucial: hitting Russias energy income through stricter oil price caps and shadow-fleet tanker controls would make Moscow think twice. Working with Saudi-Arabia to lower global oil prices could add extra pressure on Russian economy