president Donald Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on him to “make a deal” to end the “ridiculous” war with Ukraine, which started almost three years ago. During the 2024 campaign, Trump frequently spoke of 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 has made it clear that Putin is coming 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 on anything Russia sells to the United States, Tariffs and Sanctions”. As the war with Ukraine continues, there are reports that Putin is becoming worried about his country’s economy.
Trump calls on Putin to reach deal to end war in Ukraine or face greater economic pressure
Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk believes it is time for Trump to show strength and end the war.
Left: Human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk Right: President Donald Trump (Uklin Form/Raising Cats/Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Russia’s relentless aggression demands lasting international security guarantees. Any peace agreement must confront Russia’s hostility to protect Ukraine and the foundations of freedom and democracy,” Matviichuk said in a statement.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Matviichuk stressed the need not only to end the war that began in February 2022, but also to prevent Putin from achieving his “geopolitical goals” as she believes the Russian leader has no interest in peace.
“When we design the peace process, we have to design security guarantees that will make it impossible for Putin to achieve this goal,” Matviichuk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks during a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he was ready to negotiate an end to the war.
Ukraine: How war could change in 2024
In his first sit-down interview since returning to the White House, Trump Tell “Hannity” Zelenskyy “had enough.” However, as Trump denounced Putin, he said Zelensky was “no angel” and that he fought for the Ukrainian leader instead of making a deal.
Reuters reported in November that Putin was willing to discuss a peace plan. He could reportedly agree to freeze the current conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin uses state-owned media to spread the Kremlin’s message. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
since Putin’s 2022 invasioncivilians in Ukraine had to adapt to life during the war. Kiev-based Matviichuk described it as “complete uncertainty”. But her focus has been on exposing atrocities in Russia. Nearly three years into the war, she has classified some 80,000 Russian criminals.
“We don’t want to live in Putin’s world,” Matviichuk said. “We want to live in a world that respects democracy, the rule of law and freedom.”
Ashley Carnahan and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
