Donald Trump said repeatedly during his campaign to return to the US presidency that he could quickly negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. There’s now concern in Ukraine and among its allies that once Trump is inaugurated in January, the US will back away from supporting the effort to fend off Russian invasion. Officials in countries on NATO’s eastern flank especially worry that if Ukraine is weakened to the point of having to agree to surrender land, it will embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders with territorial ambitions.
In a September presidential debate, Trump sidestepped a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to succeed in its effort to expel the invading Russians. Instead, he said repeatedly during the campaign that the fighting should stop and that he could end the war “in a day” through a settlement. His vice-presidential running mate, JD Vance, said in an interview in September that a deal would “probably” entail Russia retaining the land it has seized in Ukraine and Ukraine agreeing to renounce its goal of joining NATO.
