Trump says he will end Ukraine war on eve of swearing-in
On the eve of taking office as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump told supporters at a victory rally that he would end the war in Ukraine, stop chaos in the Middle East, and launch a strong drive to remove illegal immigrants.
President-elect Trump previewed his inauguration speech and outlined a general plan for his first day in office without offering specifics. He is set to become the 47th President at noon US Eastern time on Monday, with the ceremony moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda due to cold weather.
“I will end the war in Ukraine,” Trump declared at the rally in Washington DC on Sunday.
“I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent World War Three from happening. And you have no idea how close we are.”
Ukraine has been able to withstand Russia’s 2023 invasion largely due to support from a US-led coalition of Western countries, with outgoing President Joe Biden committing his administration to a “whatever-it-takes” approach and leaving any ceasefire decisions to Ukraine.
Trump has previously expressed a desire to end the war, but his strong statement on Sunday suggests little room for Ukraine to make its own decision on the matter.
Trump has also been involved in West Asia, with his special envoy for the region, Steve Witkoff, participating in the US-led ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on Sunday. Trump has claimed credit for bringing the negotiations to a close after months of discussions, though President Biden has resisted sharing credit for the agreement.
The President-elect emphasized his commitment to ending illegal immigration, stating that he would announce “the most aggressive, sweeping effort to restore our borders the world has ever seen” in his inaugural address.
He also pledged to cut climate regulations to increase oil exploration, bringing back jobs to the US through “Buy American” and “Hire American” policies, reducing taxes and government bureaucracy, and boosting government transparency. Additionally, he promised to release previously unseen records on the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. in the near future.
