WASHINGTON – Donald Trump on Sunday pressed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to take action to reach an agreement to end hostilities with Ukraine, which he described as part of his efforts as president-elect to end the war even though he has only been in office for a few weeks.
“Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness,” Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a televised interview on Sunday, Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and withdrawing the United States from NATO. Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the US national security community.
Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if he was actively working to end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine, Trump said, “I am.”
He declined to say whether he had spoken to Putin since he won the election in November. “I don’t want to say anything about that, because I don’t want to do anything to derail the negotiations,” Trump said.
Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire went beyond public policy adopted by the Biden administration and Ukraine and received a cautious response from Zelenskyy. It also marks Trump’s dive into efforts ahead of his January 20 inauguration to tackle one of the biggest global issues facing the crippled Biden administration.
Trump made his proposal after a weekend meeting in Paris with the leaders of France and Ukraine in Paris, where many world leaders had gathered to celebrate the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral after a devastating fire. None of the advisors he was traveling with seemed to have any knowledge of Ukraine.
Kyiv would like to close the deal, Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. “It must be stopped immediately and negotiations must begin.”
“I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!” Trump added. He was talking about China’s mediation efforts which many in the West saw as favoring Russia.
Zelenskyy described his Saturday talks with Trump, moderated by French President Emmanuel Macron, as “constructive” but gave no further details.
In a Sunday letter on the Telegram messaging app, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine needs “a just and stable peace, which the Russians will not destroy within a few years.”
“If we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first talk about effective peace guarantees. Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. “Russia has brought war to our country,” said Zelenskyy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump’s position by repeating Moscow’s long-standing message that it was open to talks with Ukraine. Peskov spoke about Zelenskyy’s decree from October 2022 which officially declared the possibility of any negotiations “impossible” as long as Putin is the leader of Russia.
That law came after Putin declared four Ukrainian regions to be part of Russia, in what Kyiv and the West said was a clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Trump’s former national security adviser, retired Lieutenant General HR McMaster, has warned that there is no immediate end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“What I’m concerned about is this kind of misguided notion that Putin can be put, of course, that Putin is going to come to some kind of deal,” McMaster told “Fox News Sunday.”
“I think it’s very important for President Trump to stick to his vision on this … peace with strength,” McMaster said, adding, “How about giving them what they need to defend themselves, and then saying to Putin, ‘You’re going to lose this war?’
While Trump has previously said he would like to see an immediate end to the conflict in Ukraine, his proposal on Sunday was framed as a direct appeal to Russia. The quick responses from Ukraine and Russia showed the seriousness with which they view the idea from the incoming American president.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have pointed to Russia’s withdrawal from Syria, where Russian troops have largely moved out of the way in recent days as Syrian rebels toppled the country’s pro-Russian president, as evidence of the extent to which the war in Ukraine has ended. Russian resources.
The Biden administration and other supporters of Ukraine have made a point of not being seen to press Ukraine for an immediate deal. Ukraine’s allies fear that a quick deal will be subject to the terms of their more powerful neighbor, which could force a damaging concession on Ukraine and allow Russia to resume war once it has strengthened its military capabilities.
For most of the war, Kyiv’s official position was to demand a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, including Crimea, as a condition for peace talks. Moscow has also demanded tough concessions from Ukraine as a condition for talks to begin.
Trump portrays himself as someone who will make quick deals to resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East that have frustrated many of the mediation efforts of the Biden administration.
There is no ban on incoming officials or appointees meeting with foreign officials, and it is common practice and punishment for them to do so – unless those meetings are designed to subvert or otherwise affect current US policy.
The Logan Act prohibits private citizens from attempting to intervene in “conflicts or disputes” between the United States and foreign powers without the government’s consent. But the 1799 law produced just two criminal cases, none since the 1850s and none leading to convictions.
In an NBC interview recorded on Friday, Trump renewed his warning to NATO allies that he does not see continued US participation in the Western military alliance given his second term.
Trump has long complained that European and Canadian governments in the defense bloc are freeloading military spending from the US, its most powerful ally in NATO. NATO and its member governments say most countries in the bloc are now hitting voluntary military spending targets, thanks to pressure from Trump in his first term.
Asked if he would consider leaving NATO, Trump said that was an open question.
“If they pay their debts, and if I think they treat us well, the answer is I will stay with NATO,” he said.
But if not, he was asked if he would consider pulling the US out of the alliance. Trump responded, “Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.”
Trump expressed similar openness when asked whether Ukraine should consider possible cuts in American aid. “It’s possible,” he said.
US weapons and other military support are essential to Ukraine’s efforts to fend off invading Russian forces, and Democratic President Joe Biden has been offering aid to Ukraine since leaving office.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday announced nearly a billion dollars in additional long-term arms support to Ukraine. Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, on Sunday about the state of the war and support for the US military, the Pentagon said.
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