Trump Vows to End Ukraine Conflict, Awaits Putin Talks
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to resolve the Ukraine crisis, awaiting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also expressed interest in meeting "as soon as possible." Trump shared his commitment during a speech at the AmericaFest Turning Point event, where he also outlined his intentions for his first day back in the Oval Office, prioritizing domestic issues and global security challenges.
"We have to end the war, and it’s a war that’s causing tremendous – one of the worst blemishes on humanity," Trump said, adding that the conflict has resulted in "millions and millions of people dead."
Moscow estimates Ukrainian military losses to exceed 500,000 in 2024 alone, bringing total casualties since the escalation in 2022 to over a million, according to Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. Kyiv, however, maintains that Russian losses exceed 750,000, with both sides accusing each other of concealing true casualty figures.
Trump, once again, claimed that he could have prevented both the Ukraine conflict and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel during his presidency. "The war wouldn’t have happened if I were president," he stated, suggesting a vastly different global security landscape.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that he could end the Ukraine conflict within "24 hours" of taking office by employing his "peace through strength" strategy. However, he has yet to provide specific details on how he plans to achieve this.
Putin has welcomed Trump’s comments on ending the conflict, stating that they "deserve attention," and signaled his willingness to engage in talks with the president-elect. "I think there will be many things to discuss if there’s an opportunity to meet with the President-elect Donald Trump," Putin said, adding that he was open to meeting whenever Trump wishes.
In a year-end press conference, Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s openness to negotiating with Kyiv without preconditions, citing the previously agreed-upon conditions in the Istanbul deal of 2022, which includes Ukraine’s status as a neutral and non-bloc country and certain limitations on foreign military deployments. He emphasized that any negotiations must take the current situation on the ground into account.