KT McFarland, former deputy national security adviser, told Newsmax on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's strategy in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia is centered on economic leverage and his determination to avoid pushing Moscow into Beijing's embrace.
"The economics is frankly the biggest part of this," McFarland told "Newsline" host Bianca de la Garza. She said Trump is "threading a needle" in trying to end the war, locking in security guarantees for Kyiv, and still leaving the door open for constructive relations with Russia.
"He could alienate Russia and get the deal done because he would crush Russia's economy," McFarland explained. "But what does that do? It just pushes Russia into the hands of the Chinese, which we don't want. We don't want a Chinese-Russian alliance to the United States."
That delicate balancing act requires Trump to remain nimble, she added. Citing his own words aboard Air Force One on Friday, McFarland said Trump knows he must "bob and weave," stay flexible, and improvise to keep all sides engaged.
"He wants to have good relations with Russia by the time this is done and good relations with Ukraine," she said.
Trump has not specified what form U.S. security guarantees could take, and he backed away from insisting that Russia agree to a ceasefire before any peace negotiations kick off in earnest.
McFarland also highlighted Trump's evolving strategy, noting that his hallmark has always been to keep multiple backup plans. After early efforts to rely on his "charm and personality" (plan A), apply military and economic pressure (plan B), and meet directly with Vladimir Putin in Alaska (plan C) all fell short, Trump has shifted to what McFarland described as plan D.
That strategy centered on hosting European leaders and Ukrainian officials at the White House on Monday while keeping Putin personally engaged.
"Plan D is that he brought the European leaders and Ukraine to the White House and is now creating a real sense of momentum," McFarland said. She pointed to Trump's decision to call Putin in the middle of the meeting as proof that he is driving negotiations on his own terms.
As a businessman, Trump sees time as leverage, McFarland noted.
"He's a real estate developer. Time is money," she said. "He's going to be working very, very quickly to create a sense of inevitability and momentum. And I think he'll get there."
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