The 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, who took office for a second term on January 20, 2025, made a number of statements about Ukraine before the presidential election, in particular about the Russian-Ukrainian war.
ICTV Facts recalls Trump's most high-profile statements about Ukraine, in particular regarding the war.
What Trump said about Ukraine
Even on the eve of the full-scale invasion, Republican Donald Trump expressed admiration for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize the so-called L/DPR, calling it a “brilliant” move.
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— Yesterday I turned on the TV and said: This is brilliant! Putin declares most of Ukraine independent. Oh, this is wonderful, — Trump said in an interview with The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.
The Republican then said the Kremlin chief's decision was the “strongest peacekeeping force” ever.
— So Putin is now calling a large chunk of Ukraine “independent.” How smart that is! He's going to go in there and be a peacekeeper. It's the strongest peacekeeping force I've ever seen. The guy is very smart. I know him very well. Very, very well, Trump said.
Later, he also spoke about President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called the “best salesman”, meaning that the Ukrainian leader receives military and financial aid for Ukraine from the United States.
Trump also claimed that both presidents, Zelensky and Putin, “respect him”, and Trump himself allegedly knows both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders well.
Trump's statements about the war in Ukraine
However, after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the Republican changed his attitude towards the actions of Putin and Russia in general.
In his public speeches, when Trump spoke about Ukraine, the US President emphasized that there would not have been a major war between the countries if he had continued to lead the White House.
In addition, at one of the rallies, Trump accused Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of the fact that due to their decisions, “Ukraine no longer exists”.
Also, the American politician repeatedly said that if he wins the US elections, he will be able to resolve the conflict “in 24 hours”, even before he becomes president after the inauguration. At the same time, Trump never specified how exactly he plans to do this.
At the same time, during the debates with US President Joe Biden, Trump said that he did not consider Putin's peace conditions acceptable.
The Republican also stated that in a conversation with Putin, he allegedly threatened to strike Moscow if Russia “went to Ukraine”. Vladimir Putin himself noted that “he does not remember such a conversation”.
Trump's references to the role of the United States in supporting Kyiv deserve special attention. Both the Republican himself and his allies have in the past been unhappy with how much the United States spends on aid to Ukraine, arguing that European countries should shoulder most of the burden.
What Trump says about ending the war in Ukraine
A number of Trump's statements before the US elections indicated that he could pressure Ukraine to agree to an unfavorable deal, for example, by cutting off military support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In September, then-Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said that Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine included a fortified demilitarized zone beyond the current demarcation line. He also claimed that Kyiv should make concessions, for example, by abandoning NATO or other “allied institutions”.
Trump himself did not speak about such an end to the war in Ukraine, nor did he reveal any details about how he sees the resolution of the conflict.
At the same time, Reuters wrote that Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, two of Trump's top aides, presented the Republican with a plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. In it, Ukraine should allegedly enter the negotiation process in order to receive more weapons from Washington.
According to the plan, the United States will warn the Kremlin that Russia's refusal to negotiate will lead to increased support for the Ukrainian side from America. Thus, peace talks should consolidate a ceasefire based on the existing front line.
In December, Trump said that resolving the situation with a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine would be his priority upon taking office.
