(Image source from: Twitter.com/realDonaldTrump)
Former President Donald Trump portrayed Ukraine in a bleak and sorrowful manner, describing its people as "dead" and the country as "demolished". This raised questions about how much he would be willing to compromise if elected again, regarding Ukraine's future. Trump claimed that Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin before Russia's 2022 attack, stating that even "the worst deal would've been better than what we have now". Despite his long-standing criticism of US aid to Ukraine, Trump frequently asserts that Russia would not have invaded if he was president, and that he would end the war if he returned to the White House. However, he has rarely discussed the conflict in such detail. Trump's remarks, made during an event in North Carolina billed as an economic speech, followed a debate where he refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war. Additionally, on Tuesday, Trump praised Russia and the Soviet Union's military prowess, claiming that wars are "what they do".
Trump criticized Ukraine's president Zelenskyy for his recent negative comments about former president Trump and Senate candidate Vance. Zelenskyy, who is visiting the US, said Vance was "too radical" for proposing that Ukraine surrender territories under Russian control, and that Trump "doesn't really know how to stop the war." Trump responded by painting Ukraine as a country in ruins outside its capital, lacking soldiers and losing population due to the war. He questioned whether Ukraine has any bargaining power left to negotiate an end to the war, and said any deal, even a bad one, would have been better than the current situation.
The situation is dire, with the country in ruins and the people suffering. Zelenskyy is proposing a victory plan to the White House, which may include a request to use long-range Western weapons to target Russian forces. Although Ukraine has exceeded many predictions by resisting the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian forces, facing overwhelming odds, are engaged in grueling battles against one of the world's most formidable armies in the eastern regions of the country.
Ukraine has lost a significant portion of its land and many lives due to the ongoing conflict. Trump blamed the current U.S. leaders, President Biden and Vice President Harris, for the situation, stating that they encouraged Ukraine to defend itself instead of negotiating with Russia. Trump claimed that Biden and Harris provided Ukraine with extensive financial and military support, which led to the conflict. Notably, Trump did not criticize Putin's justification for the invasion, but suggested that Putin would not have started the war if Trump had been the president. However, Trump acknowledged that Putin is not a benevolent figure.
