An advisor to Donald Trump, the U.S. Republican Party's presumptive nominee for the 2024 presidential run, refuted claims in the media that the ex-president would push Ukraine to give up some of its territory if reelected, The New York Post reported on April 7.
The Washington Post wrote earlier the same day, citing undisclosed sources, that Trump had privately said he could end Russia's war by pressuring Ukraine to cede Crimea and Donbas to Moscow.
According to the Washington Post, Trump also said he believes that both Moscow and Kyiv "want to save face, they want a way out," claiming that Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories would be okay with being part of Russia.
"The whole thing is fake news from the Washington Post. They're just making it up," Trump's advisor, Jason Miller, told The New York Post.
"President Trump is the only one talking about stopping the killing. Joe Biden is talking about more killing."
Trump has repeatedly said he could end Russia's war within 24 hours if elected president, without specifying the steps for reaching a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
Biden's most likely challenger during the upcoming election has also extensively criticized the current administration's support for Ukraine.
Hard-line Republican lawmakers close to Trump oppose further assistance for Kyiv, reportedly pressuring House Speaker Mike Johnson not to call a vote on the $60 billion aid package for Ukraine in the House of Representatives.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of ceding the country's territories in exchange for peace. At the same time, Zelensky said that Ukraine is likely to lose the war unless Congress approves additional support.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally declared the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian oblasts: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Kris Parker
(Updated: )
