Topline
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday his country’s war with Russia would end “faster” with Donald Trump as U.S. president, though Trump—who previously claimed he could end the conflict in one day—and Vice President-elect JD Vance have often been critical of Ukraine during its yearslong conflict.
The president-elect has claimed he would end the war within 24 hours and previously said Ukraine … [+]
Key Facts
During a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump said he would have Ukraine’s war with Russia “settled in one day, 24 hours,” by meeting with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, both of whom Trump said have “weaknesses and they both have strengths,” though Trump did not provide details for his plans.
Trump also suggested European countries should provide more financial assistance to Ukraine.
While debating President Joe Biden in June, Trump claimed if the U.S. had a “real president,” Russia would never have invaded Ukraine, and Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said negotiating an end to the war was a “top priority” for Trump’s second administration.
In September, Trump claimed Ukraine would have benefitted from an earlier peace deal: “Any deal—the worst deal—would’ve been better than what we have now,” adding, “What deal can we make? [Ukraine is] demolished. The people are dead. The country is in rubble.”
Trump reportedly called Putin on Nov. 7, during which Trump advised the Russian president to not escalate Russia’s war with Ukraine and in private conversations, Trump has suggested he would support a deal where Russia would control the territory it captured during the conflict, according to the Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter.
Trump’s transition team has discussed another peace deal for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported, in which Ukraine would promise to not join NATO for at least 20 years, the U.S. would continue providing Ukraine with more weapons to prevent a future Russian attack and both Russia and Ukraine would agree to establish an 800-mile demilitarized zone patrolled by an unspecified peacekeeping force.
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News Peg
Zelensky, during a radio interview with Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspiline, reportedly said Ukraine’s war with Russia will “end faster with the policy of [Trump’s administration]
that will now lead the White House,” though he did not specify how. Zelensky admitted the situation in eastern Ukraine was “indeed difficult” and noted a “slow but steady pressure and advance of the Russians,” whom Zelensky claimed faced “terrible losses.”
What Has Jd Vance Said About Ukraine?
Vance has opposed plans for the U.S. to provide aid for Ukraine in recent years. During his senatorial campaign in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Vance said: “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.” During a speech at the Heritage Foundation last year, Vance said while he admires the “brave Ukrainians,” he criticized the country for having the “most corrupt leadership and government in Europe and maybe the most corrupt leadership anywhere in the world.” In July, Vance said the American people “will not tolerate another endless war” while opposing $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine. In an interview with The New Yorker in September, Zelenksy called Vance “too radical” for having proposed a peace plan requiring Ukraine to give up its territory.
Tangent
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Putin on Friday, marking the first conversation between the two leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine. Scholz called on Putin to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and to withdraw its troops. Zelensky criticized Scholz for contacting Putin, saying the German official had opened a “Pandora’s box.”
Key Background
Discussions calling for peace between Ukraine and Russia have ramped up this year. In May, Putin said he was prepared for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would recognize the current frontlines as Russian territory, though Zelensky, U.S. and other European officials have shut this plan down. Russia occupies about 18% of Ukraine as of Oct. 16, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S.-based think tank. After Trump was elected for a second term earlier this month, Putin reportedly signaled he was ready to speak with the president-elect about ending the war, though his demands were unchanged. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky signed a decree declaring peace talks with Putin “impossible,” saying it was “clear and obvious” the Russian leader would try to annex Ukrainian territory. Zelensky has proposed a 10-point peace plan, which calls for Russia to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and withdraw all of its troops.