President Donald Trump is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “make a deal” to end the “ridiculous” war with Ukraine that began nearly three years ago. During his 2024 campaign, Trump frequently talked about ending major world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, invoking former President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” doctrine. Now that he’s in office, Trump is making it clear that it’s time for Putin to come to the table.
“I don’t want to hurt Russia,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth social platform. In the post, Trump “threatened high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything Russia sells to the United States.” The threat comes days after reports that Putin is worried about his country’s economy as the war with Ukraine continues.
Trump called on Putin to make a deal, end the war against Ukraine or face more economic pressure
Oleksandra Matvychuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, believes it’s time for Trump to show strength and end the war.
Left: Human rights attorney and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matvychuk Right: President Donald Trump (Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Russia’s unrelenting aggression calls for permanent international security guarantees. Any peace deal must counter Russia’s hostility to protect Ukraine and the foundations of freedom and democracy,” Matvychuk said in a statement.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Matvychuk stressed the need to end the war, which began in February 2022, but also to block Putin from achieving his “geopolitical goals” because she believes the Russian leader has no interest in peace. Not interested.
“When we design this peace process, we have to design security guarantees, which will create this [geopolitical] It is impossible for Putin to achieve the goal,” Matvychuk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already told him he was willing to negotiate an end to the war.
Ukraine: How the War Changed in 2024
In his first sit-down interview since returning to the White House, Trump told “Hannity” that Zelensky had “enough.” However, while Trump condemned Putin, he said Zelensky was “no angel,” chastising the Ukrainian leader for fighting instead of making a deal.
Reuters reported in November that Putin was open to discussing a peace plan. It may agree to stabilize the conflict along existing lines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin uses state-run media to spread the Kremlin’s message. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
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Since Putin’s 2022 invasion, civilians in Ukraine have had to adjust to life during the war. Matvychuk, who is based out of Kiev, describes living in “total uncertainty”. However, her focus remains on exposing Russia’s atrocities. In the nearly three years since the war, she has cataloged nearly 80,000 Russian crimes.
“We don’t want to live in Putin’s world,” Matvychuk said. “We want to live in a world where democracy and the rule of law and freedom are respected.”
Ashley Carnahan and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
