In a speech to his supporters on Friday in Fort Myers, Fla., Trump said, “I will end the terrible conflict between Russia and Ukraine soon after we win the president, before I even walk in. in the Oval Office. I’ll take care of that right away.
He clarified that he “knows[s] both” Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Vladimir Zelensky, the President of Ukraine.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, said Putin would not have started his military campaign against Ukraine had Trump been in power because he “got along” with the Russian leader. The Republican claimed, “It’s still pretty easy for me to do,” referring to the resolution of the dispute that has been going on for more than a year.
He went on to say that because of Biden’s alleged mismanagement of US foreign policy, other leaders have lost the respect of the United States. Trump said to get it back, “you don’t need bullets, you don’t need tanks, you don’t need any kind of weapons, you just need some good sense”.
According to the former US president, he was the “only candidate” who could guarantee that the United States would not participate in World War III. But Trump warned that if “these incompetent people” stay in power, there “will be a war like no other” with nuclear weapons used by both sides.
The Republican candidate has publicly stated at least twice in the past month that if elected, it would take him 24 hours to convince Russia and Ukraine to stop waging war and talk.
The Ukrainian government ended negotiations with Moscow in April last year. Moscow has refuted Kyiv’s claims that the retreating Russian soldiers committed crimes in a number of Kyiv neighborhoods.
President Zelensky issued a proclamation in October of the previous year banning all communication with his Russian counterpart. After the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia following referendums, this order was issued.
As long as kyiv renounces its claims to the areas and agrees to Russia’s terms, the Kremlin insists it is ready for peace talks in principle. Ukraine, on the other hand, says it is committed to resolving the war through military victory.