Biden invites Trump to the White House to discuss the transition

Incumbent US President Joe Biden is expected to host newly-elected President Donald Trump at the White House on November 13 to discuss the transition of administrations, a spokesman said.

“He (Biden) believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on November 12.

“That’s the norm. That’s what should happen.”

With Biden and Trump having drastically different views on many domestic and foreign policies, they could discuss topics other than the transition, such as the continuation and importance of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine.

Trump’s support for Ukraine is up in the air analysts and politicians try to gauge his plans to bring peace to Ukraine as he promised to end the war within “24 hours” of re-election without revealing details.

Outgoing President Biden has seen handling Russia’s war against Ukraine as a defining part of his presidency, gradually providing Ukraine with more military equipment as Kiev emerged victorious from the early Battle of Kiev in April 2022.

Since then, he has given Congress the green light and pushed through numerous military aid packages. The Biden administration has done the same received criticism over the allegedly cumbersome and piecemeal approach to aid, which may have contributed to Ukraine’s mounting setbacks on the battlefield.

Although Trump’s self-imposed 24-hour deadline has passed, the next president has provided few details about how he plans to make good on his peace pledge.

Numerous reports have provided some clues over the past year about his plans to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. The nature of such a quick deal strongly suggests that Ukraine will be forced to cede land to Russia.

In April the Washingtonpost reported that Trump would pressure Ukraine to cede the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia occupied in 2014, and the far eastern Donbas region. Two months later, two top advisors Trump proposed a plan that would cut off military aid to Ukraine unless the country agrees to peace negotiations with Russia.

Recently, The Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s peace plan may include deploying European troops to a buffer zone in Ukraine after the current frontline in Ukraine was frozen. In exchange for ceding territory, Ukraine would receive weapons from the US and agree not to pursue its ambition to join NATO for 20 years.

In stark opposition to Trump’s plans, President Biden repeatedly assured Ukraine that it is their decision to negotiate with Russia on their terms and that their territorial integrity should not be a bargaining chip traded over their heads by other countries.

To provide Ukraine with as much support as possible before Trump takes office in January 2025, the Biden administration plans to increase U.S. military assistance to Ukraine in the final months of its term, the U.S. Secretary of State said. Anthony Blinken said in Brussels on November 13.

Also read: Trump stuns officials after appointing Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary

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