Donald Trump’s plan for peace in Ukraine has been branded “naive” and “unsophisticated” by former director of the CIA John Brennan.
In the first five months of his second term, the U.S. president has aggressively pushed for peace but refused to offer unconditional support to Kyiv in its defence against Russian aggression.
Mr Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine on the first day of his presidency while on the campaign trail, but diplomatic efforts have stalled and Russia has recently launched some of its largest attacks of the war so far.
The US President recently suggested it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” in a sign of his waning interest in ending the three-year conflict.
Speaking on Sky News, Mr Brennan said the U.S. president’s approach to forcing through a quick peace deal in Ukraine was “naive” and “unsophisticated”.
"I think that Donald Trump doesn't know what he will do,” said Brennan when asked what the President will do next to secure peace in Ukraine.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have met for talks multiple times within the past month. But beyond agreements to exchange of prisoners of war, no major breakthrough has been made towards peace.
Mr Brennan and Mr Trump have a tense history, and the former has previously been critical of the U.S. president’s foreign policy. During his first term in office, Mr Trump described him as the “worst” CIA chief in history - and in January he revoked Mr Brennan’s security clearance.
The former intelligence official was involved in Ukraine during his time in Langley and first visited the country in 2014 - the same year Russian forces invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Asked about the strength of the Ukrainian military, Mr Brennan told Sky News: "Pound for pound, [it] punches above the weight of virtually every other military on the globe, I would say including the United States, given the tremendous experience that they've gained on the battlefield".
He also suggested that Ukraine’s allies were likely aware - at least in part - of the drone attack on Russian airfields deep inside its territory.
"I don't doubt for a moment that they were given some additional assistance from Western intelligence and military authorities and capabilities,” Brennan said.
"The Ukrainians have done a lot on their own, but I think a lot of this is initially enabled by some ideas that come from their Western allies."
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