Trump separates from Russia-Ukraine conflict: ‘Not our people’

Trump’s Stance on Russia-Ukraine Conflict

President Donald Trump seems to be distancing the United States from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, just shortly after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump stated this week that the situation does not involve the U.S., despite its role as a mediator since he took office in January.

“It’s not our people, it’s our soldiers… it’s Ukraine, it’s Russia,” Trump remarked during an event in the Oval Office while hosting South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Trump also mentioned having spoken to Zelensky while the Ukrainian leader was in transit to South Africa. Zelensky had cut short a previous visit due to escalating attacks from Russia against Kyiv. “I called Zelensky, and they said they were in South Africa. I was just wondering, what is he doing there?” Trump said. Ramaphosa clarified that Zelensky was engaging in discussions about peace.

“He’s trying to make peace,” Trump noted.

In Wednesday’s comments, Trump expressed that he believes he has achieved “a lot of progress” with Putin following their recent call. Although there seems to be a pathway towards ceasefire and peace talks, Trump indicated that both Moscow and Kyiv should orchestrate the future discussions. “The terms will be negotiated between the two parties as much as possible; the intricate details are often overlooked,” he stated in a social media post.

Trump’s remarks are part of a wider trend among his administration, which appears to welcome a shift away from U.S. involvement in peace negotiations. Vice President JD Vance characterized the ongoing discussions as somewhat of a “stalemate” and declared that the U.S. might find it beneficial to step back.

“There’s a basic distrust between Russia and the West. The president thinks that’s frankly counterproductive,” Vance said. “We ought to be able to move past this. It’s a mistake we’ve made before, but it does take two to engage.”

He added, “I know the president is open to this, but if Russia isn’t, then we have to conclude this really isn’t our conflict. It’s Biden’s war, it’s Putin’s war. We’re going to help where we can, but if it can’t be resolved, we must ask ourselves, what’s the point?”