On October 20, during an interview with the press at the White House, US President Donald Trump made frank comments, saying that he does not believe in a complete victory for Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The statement was made at the beginning of a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, when a reporter asked him to clarify recent affirmations that Ukraine was likely to return to the previous border. Mr. Trump expressed skepticism about Ukraine's ability to win. He said that although Ukraine could still win in theory, he personally did not think Ukraine would be able to do so.
This statement immediately caused a lot of controversy. Experts see this as a big change, because previously, Western allies always strongly supported Ukraine with the goal of complete victory. The skeptical statement from the head of such an important ally is expected to have a significant impact on both the spirit and strategy of Ukraine in the future.
In addition to expressing skepticism, President Trump also expressed optimism about a peaceful solution to the conflict. He expressed confidence that the conflict would eventually be resolved through negotiations.
To boost his confidence, US President Donald Trump mentioned his role in global peace negotiations. He emphasized that thanks to individual efforts, 8 armed conflicts in many parts of the world have been resolved in just a few months.
"I have resolved 8 conflicts in 8 months. But there is still another conflict that needs to be resolved. It's Russia, Ukraine, and I think we can do that," Trump said.
This statement reaffirms Mr. Trump's core viewpoint on foreign policy: He believes that he has special ability to negotiate directly with world leaders to bring peace.
However, this stance could put Ukraine in a difficult position. Trump's momentum to both promote negotiations and raise public skepticism about Kiev's chances of victory is expected to put significant pressure on Ukraine in any future negotiations. Currently, other allies and the Ukrainian government have not made an official comment on this statement.
