(Kyle Anzalone, Libertarian Institute) President Donald Trump said at some point his administration may give up on attempting to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
In an interview on Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked the President how close Ukraine and Russia were to coming to an agreement. “I do believe we’re closer with one party. And maybe not as close with the other, but we’ll have to see,” Trump replied. “Five thousand soldiers a week on average, are dying. They’re not American soldiers. But I want to solve the problem.”
Trump refused to say which country was the greater barrier to reaching an agreement to end the war.
Welker pressed Trump to explain when he would give up on trying to end the war. “Well, there will be a time when I will say, okay, keep going, keep being stupid,” he said. “Maybe it’s not possible to do.”
The President did not put a firm date on when he would consider that making a deal was no longer possible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that day would come within weeks.
During the interview, Trump touted the mineral agreement signed between Washington and Kiev last week. He said the deal will help the US recoup some of the money the Joe Biden administration spent sending aid to Ukraine.
According to the text of the agreement, once it goes into effect, if the US “delivers new military assistance to the Government of Ukraine in any form (including the donation of weapons systems, ammunition, technology or training), the capital contribution of the US Partner will be deemed to be increased by the assessed value of such military assistance.”
This suggests the US could continue sending weapons to Ukraine.
Welker and Trump did not discuss what walking away from talks would mean for US support for Ukraine and the relationship between Washington and Kiev.
The President said one barrier to a deal was the hatred between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky, along with each country’s military leadership.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance issued a notably pessimistic tone about the war. It is “going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other’s terms for peace are. It’s going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict.” He added, “It’s not going anywhere…. It’s not going to end any time soon.”
This article originally appeared at The Libertarian Institute.
