Trump misses deadline to end war in Ukraine

Trump misses deadline to end war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump has set his deadline for completing the War in Ukraine missed.

Trump's unrealistic promises

No one really believed that Trump could end the three-year conflict within 24 hours, as he had repeatedly implied as a candidate. Even his new special envoy to Ukraine has asked for 100 days to find a solution.

Lack of strategy for peace

Although the deadline has passed and there was little mention of the conflict during Trump's inauguration celebrations, it is clear how challenging it will be for the new president to end the fighting in Ukraine. So far he has made no public attempts to broker peace.

Trump's priorities

In the list of priorities that Trump has during his Inauguration speech Ukraine was not mentioned. Although Trump declared that he was a “bringer of peace,” there were no concrete commitments to continued American support for Kiev.

Conversations with Putin

Currently, it appears that Trump's first order of business will be a conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whom he famously described on Monday as responsible for "the destruction of Russia."

Criticism of Russia

“He can’t be excited, things aren’t going well for him,” Trump said during a lengthy signing ceremony. This was a rare moment of criticism of the Russian president. “Russia is bigger, they have more soldiers to lose, but you can’t run a country like that.”

Future of negotiations

When asked how long the war might last, Trump replied that he could only know after speaking to the Russian leader: "I have to talk to President Putin. We have to figure out what happens next." Trump has instructed his aides to arrange a phone call with Putin soon, with one of the goals of the conversation being to plan a face-to-face meeting in the coming months to end the war in Ukraine.

Moving away from Biden’s approach

Talks between the two men would represent a significant break from the approach of former President Joe Biden, who did not speak directly to Putin for nearly three years because he felt talks would not help resolve the conflict.

Trump wants to act directly

Trump sees it differently. According to a person close to him, his thinking is exactly what is needed: a direct dialogue with Putin to find a solution. “How the hell are you going to find a way out of this mess if you don’t talk?” the person described Trump's approach.

Unclear solutions

Exactly what that solution might look like is unclear, although officials privately acknowledge that it will almost certainly require concessions from Ukraine.

International support

“The president said during the campaign that he wanted the dying to stop,” new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an NBC interview on Tuesday. "He wants the destruction to stop. I think that's in everyone's interest. Will it be easy? Will it be complicated? Of course, because each side has to give something up."

Financing reconstruction

Although it is not clear to what extent Trump intends to continue the Biden administration's strategy of providing weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, aside from rejecting Ukraine's NATO membership, he has not made any statements about security guarantees that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might agree to.

Concerns about Trump's focus

In his remarks, Zelensky indicated concern about Trump's commitment to the conflict and suggested that European countries should become more active. The Ukrainian leader noted that while the United States is an "indispensable" ally for Europe, the relationship may not be completely reciprocal.

Europe's responsibility

“Will President Trump even notice Europe?” Zelenskyj asked during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Does he see NATO as necessary and will he respect the EU institutions?”

“Europe cannot afford to lag behind its allies,” Zelensky added, emphasizing that Europe must “learn to fully protect itself” so that “the world cannot afford to ignore it.” The Ukrainian leader also urged European countries to stand together to confront threats from Russia and Iran, noting that no European country can stand alone against Russia.

"This is not a situation where one country can secure itself alone. This is about us all standing together and having meaning," he said.

Reporting by Catherine Nicholls (CNN) attached.