Former President Trump said on the campaign trail nearly a year ago that he would resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine within 24 hours, but he has yet to provide details about his plans.
President Trump said on CNN in May, “If I were president, wars would be resolved in one day, in 24 hours.”
Trump has since doubled down on his comments, including one on Fox News in July. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign repeatedly this week for comment and details on what such a plan would look like, but did not receive a response.
In July, FOX News’ Maria Bartiromo asked President Trump for details on how he would end the war within 24 hours if re-elected. The president said he would rely on his personal relationships with Zelensky and Putin, but gave no details beyond his talks with the two leaders.
Trump on Russia-Ukraine war: We’ll get a settlement within 24 hours
Nearly a year ago, while on the campaign trail, former President Trump said he would resolve the Ukraine war within 24 hours. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
“I know Zelensky well, I know Putin well, even better. And I had a good relationship with both of them. I told Zelensky, ‘No more. We have to make a deal.” I would say to President Putin, “If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot of money. That’s what we’re going to do.” [give Ukraine] More than they ever got, if we needed it. We will complete the transaction within 1 day. “Someday,” Trump replied.
Questions about the former president’s foreign policy plans have grown in recent weeks, as Trump has dominated recent Republican primaries and caucuses. A Wednesday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal argued that “President Trump owes Americans some answers on foreign policy.”
“First of all, what did Trump mean when he said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours? He actually said that Putin would annex eastern Ukraine. “Is he saying that should be allowed? Will he withdraw the US from a rough war? A 50-nation Ukraine Defense Liaison Group?” WSJ columnist Daniel Henninger wrote in an article. Ta.
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Zelensky was asked about Trump’s comments Thursday in an exclusive interview with Bret Baier, Fox News’ chief political anchor and editor-in-chief of “Special Reports.”
“He cannot resolve this issue, this tragedy with me,” Zelenskiy said. He welcomed the former president to the front and offered to “explain everything and explain what he thinks. Maybe he has some ideas, but I don’t know.”
Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokeswoman during the Trump administration, asked whether the former president could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if re-elected, or if he could end the war in Ukraine in a timely manner. In response to a question, he pointed to Trump’s influence on the world stage.
“President Trump has a lot of influence,” Nauert said. “He could pound the sand on President Putin and instruct him to withdraw his troops immediately. This would send a direct message to all adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea. American territory. As someone who values integrity, President Trump should understand Ukraine’s wants and needs to protect its borders. ”
President Zelensky of Ukraine, former President Trump, and President Putin of Russia (Getty Images)
In contrast to President Biden’s “piecemeal approach,” Nauert said there are several options that could help end the war in Ukraine, including tightening sanctions on Russia and providing “the weapons and training that Ukraine needs.” He claimed that there was. He said: “Equipments have been provided too little, too late, and innocent people are losing their lives as a result.”
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“It is in the national security interest of Ukraine to help President Putin prevent his seizure of the country and the spread of war across Europe,” Nauert said. “The United States and its allies will use economic, military, and financial means to restrain Russia. I can do it.” “Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine’s military, will and economy. Russia does not stop at Ukraine’s borders.
The former State Department spokesperson cited energy as a top option, arguing that U.S. energy independence could help Europe “break away” from oil dependence on Russia.
“If America becomes energy independent again, we could help provide reliable American oil and gas to our allies in Europe. Throughout Europe, energy has been used as a weapon of war. “Providing American energy, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), to allies and friends could separate Europe from Russia. “Additional interventions (including
The arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter by Vladimir Putin’s government sparked international outrage. (Gabriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo, via AP)
Fox News Digital also spoke to another former Trump administration official who, when asked if it was realistic for President Trump to resolve the Ukraine war within 24 hours, responded, “Anything is possible.” , cited energy as the greatest potential tool for ending war.
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“President Trump has a history of deal-making, and we envision a situation where he can convene discussions and negotiations that have leverage on both sides,” a former Trump administration official told Fox News. told Digital. background.
“If we had a president who wasn’t committed to keeping Russian energy on the market for fear of rising prices here at home, our economic influence over Russia could be even greater, and we’re going to do what it takes to make that happen.” ‘Replace that product with a U.S. product,”’ the former official said.
Leveraging energy against Russia will require the United States to work with European countries that it believes can meet its energy needs. A former Trump official said a conservative president unfettered by liberal climate policies at home would open the door to that option.
FOX News poll: Voters are split on what the U.S. should do in foreign conflicts
A woman looks at a destroyed building as civilians go about their daily lives during the Russo-Ukrainian war in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on September 17, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kyzil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Peter Dolan, a nonresident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan think tank, said in comments to FOX Digital that there is a “huge disconnect” between the Biden administration’s rhetoric and actual policy toward Russia. He argued that this ultimately led to a worsening of Russian policy. The economy is growing despite claims by the 46th president that “tough sanctions” have been introduced.
“Right now, there is a huge gap between the Biden administration’s sanctions rhetoric, what it says it is doing towards Russia, and its actual policy. Russia’s economy grew by 2.2% last year and by 2.6% this year. “The economy is expected to grow by 12% under quote for a year, and unquote for the Biden administration’s swift and severe sanctions.” “The reason is that Russia is allowed to make too much money by selling too much oil to finance the war.
“The best option for Trump would be to take the Iran sanctions model and apply it to Russia and deny Russia the funds it needs to sustain this war, and that it ultimately is the way to end the war.”
Mr. Zelensky reneges on offer to visit Ukraine front line: “If Mr. Zelensky” Trump will come, he’s ready.”
Former President Trump sits during a town hall hosted by Laura Ingraham on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” on February 20, 2024 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The former president spoke with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham this week and doubled down on his previous statements that the Ukraine war “would never have happened” if he had been in the White House. However, he did not elaborate on how he would work to end the war if re-elected. He focused on how European countries needed to “make amends,” claiming that the United States had spent $150 billion more on aid to Ukraine than Europe had provided.
“We have to make them pay because there is a difference of $150 billion. It feels very bad. Remember this: in Russia we are actually facing a war machine. ,” he told Ingraham. “Russia, what have they done? They defeated Hitler. They defeated Napoleon. They are a war machine.”
The Biden administration and Congress have directed at least $75 billion to Ukraine, and another $60 billion in aid is moving through Congress.
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The war in Ukraine will have been going on for two years by Saturday, but a recent Fox News poll found voters are deeply divided on the country’s role in the war. Thirty-one percent of registered voters think the U.S. should do more to support the war against Russia, and 30% say the U.S. should do less. A Fox poll released in December found that 35% of voters think current levels of support are appropriate.
Dolan argued that foreign policy issues typically take a backseat for voters during elections, but noted that the 2024 election is unique because the world is in “dangerous turmoil.”
President Trump talks about how he was able to resolve Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours
“As with all elections, it’s the domestic economy and domestic politics that drive voters to the polls. Foreign policy is always in the back of their minds, never in the foreground. What’s unique about this election cycle is that the world is in turmoil. “We are in a dangerous state of confusion, but voters remember that things were not like this when President Trump was in office, and that creates a strong incentive in his favor in 2024. It will be,” he said.
Earlier this month, President Zelensky again invited President Trump to visit Ukraine after inviting him again to visit Ukraine, noting that President Trump had said in November that the war could be ended “within 24 hours.” .
Former President Trump greets supporters during a town hall hosted by Laura Ingraham on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” on February 20, 2024, in Greenville, South Carolina. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
In an interview last year, Zelenskiy said, “Former President Trump said he could manage and end the war in about 24 hours.” “For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome, too.”
President Trump has so far not responded to Zelensky’s offer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with President Biden at the recent NATO summit in Lithuania. (AP/Charek Sokolowski)
Nauert added that before Americans head to the polls later this year, candidates should announce “strategies to address the interconnected threats posed by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.” Ta.
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“The whole world will be watching the outcome of the presidential election. When the United States is in turmoil, adversaries take advantage of that vacuum, and that’s never good for our national security,” she said. .
