It seems as though Donald Trump is beginning to doubt himself when it comes to brokering a peace deal amid the years-long Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump famously claimed during the 2024 election that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day if he was re-elected.
Now, nine months into his second term, the war between Russia and Ukraine is still raging on, with talks of future peace appearing to be shelved, even after a theatrical summit in Alaska in which Trump applauded Vladimir Putin.
Trump appeared to admit he was wrong about the war during a recent interview with the Daily Caller.
‘I thought the easiest [war to end] would be this one, in a certain way because of relationships,’ Trump said.
‘Because, you know, I just felt I knew. But it doesn’t seem, it’s going to get, it’s going to get done, but it’s taking long.’
Trump added, ‘A lot of people are dying. They’re losing from five to 7000 soldiers a week.’
This marks the first time Trump has publicly doubted himself when it comes to ending the bloody Eastern European conflict.
Trump bragged he could end the war in Ukraine in one day after taking office
Trump said he thought his close relationship with Putin would help lead to peace progress in Ukraine
Trump had hoped a bilateral meeting would occur between Zelensky and Putin
The deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to make progress toward peace in Ukraine passed yesterday, as noted by both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron.
On July 14, Trump gave Putin a 50-day window if he did not move forward with peace talks. The president promised ‘secondary tariffs’ if the deadline was not met by Russia.
‘If that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump,’ Macron said during a press conference on Friday.
Trump met Putin on August 15th at a U.S. military base in Alaska, marking the first time the Russian president has met with his U.S. counterpart since the start of the war.
The two leaders met privately for three hours before holding a joint press conference. Putin and Trump did agree to any formal resolutions during the summit.
Following Trump’s Oval Office meeting with the Ukrainian leader and a delegation of European leaders last month, he announced a bilateral meeting was being planned to host Putin and Zelensky.
Trump announced his hopes for Putin-Zelensky meeting later that day on Truth Social.
‘I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote. ‘After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.’
Putin met with Trump last month in Alaska to discuss ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
However, in the days following that meeting Putin, along with top Kremlin officials, dismissed hopes for a bilateral conference by questioning the legitimacy of Zelensky’s presidency.
Later in his interview with the Daily Caller, Trump reaffirmed his stance that U.S. troops would be used for Ukrainian security guarantees.
The president again admitted the war his administration ‘inherited’ has been ‘difficult’ to end.
‘I inherited this war. And all I’m trying to do is put out the flame, you know. And I thought I had it done. I did it seven times with other, I did it with wars that were tougher than this in terms of nobody.’
Trump noted, ‘This war is just, it’s been very difficult. It’s been a difficult war.’
Following the bilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky, Trump had hoped to host a trilateral meeting with himself and the foreign leaders.