'Let's be realistic' – Kremlin on Trump's plan to end war in '24 hours'
Russia said on July 18 there is a need to "be realistic" when considering former U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he could end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours."
Trump has promised to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine within a day if elected but has not publicly elaborated on how he plans to achieve that.
One plan reportedly involves ceding territory to Russia.
"We saw the statements. Trump said he would resolve the conflict within 24 hours, then (Trump's newly-appointed running mate JD) Vance said that China is a bigger problem for the U.S. than the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in comments reported by Reuters.
"It's necessary to separate pre-election rhetoric from statements by government officials vested with the appropriate powers. If we talk about whether it's possible to resolve the conflict, let's be realistic."
Zakharova also referred to Trump's time in office when he said he had solutions for the conflict in the Middle East.
"They prepared for the 'deal of the century' for quite a long time, but it did not end in anything, and under Biden, on the contrary, a colossal historical tragedy happened," she said.
Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Trump should reveal his plan so Kyiv can be prepared for any risks such a plan might entail.
"If Trump knows how to finish this war, he should tell us today," Zelensky told Bloomberg Television in an interview published on July 3.
"If there are risks to Ukrainian independence, if we lose statehood — we want to be ready for this, we want to know... We want to understand whether in November we will have the powerful support of the U.S., or will be all alone."
Chris York
