Donald Trump addressed the Ukraine crisis, revealing “serious” discussions with Russia aimed at resolving the ongoing war. He criticized Ukraine’s strategy and U.S. aid, pledging to end the conflict within a day if re-elected. Trump’s relationship with Putin continues to draw attention amid the escalating crisis.
Trump Discusses Potential Action on Ukraine Crisis
Donald Trump recently revealed that his administration held “very serious” talks with Russia regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump indicated that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin might soon take “significant” steps toward resolving the nearly three-year conflict.
“We’ll be speaking, and I think we’ll do something significant,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We want to end that war. If I were president, it would never have started.”
Trump did not specify which officials had contacted the Russians but said discussions were already underway. When asked if he personally spoke with Putin, Trump replied, “I don’t want to say that.”
Despite his repeated claims that he could have prevented the war, fighting in eastern Ukraine escalated while he was in office. Clashes involved Kyiv’s forces and Russian-backed separatists before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops in 2022.
Trump Criticizes Ukraine’s Strategy and US Aid
Since returning to the political spotlight, Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not negotiating with Putin earlier. In a January interview with Fox News, Trump mocked Zelenskyy as “talking so brave” despite Ukraine’s dependence on US aid.
“They were brave, but we gave them billions of dollars,” Trump remarked.
The US currently supplies around 40% of Ukraine’s military needs. Since February 2022, Washington has provided Kyiv over $65 billion (€62 billion) in military and economic aid.
Putin recently praised Trump during a Russian state TV interview, calling him “clever and pragmatic” with a focus on US interests. “We had a trusting, business-like relationship,” Putin said. He agreed with Trump’s belief that the conflict could have been avoided if Trump had remained in office.
Putin’s remarks included support for Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen. However, multiple courts, officials, and Trump’s own attorney general have confirmed no evidence of widespread fraud.
As part of his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to end the Ukraine war “within a day” if elected. He also criticized Joe Biden’s administration for allocating billions of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine.
Trump’s ties to Putin have been under scrutiny since his 2016 campaign, when he encouraged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails. Trump later sided with Putin over US intelligence agencies regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and called Putin “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine.