President-elect Donald Trump on Monday likened the ongoing war in Ukraine to the most devastating conflict since World War II in his first press conference since taking office.
President Trump said he is committed to stopping a “horrific” war between Ukraine and Russia. meanwhile, press conferencePresident Trump said the situation was dire, pointing out the extensive damage and high casualty rate.
“If you look at what has happened to them, there are cities where there are no buildings. They are demolition sites. There are no buildings. So people can’t go back to those cities. There’s nothing there. No, it’s just rubble,” Trump said.
President Trump also criticized underreporting of casualties and suggested the death toll was significantly higher than official figures.
“By the way, there are a lot of people in those buildings. A lot of people were in those buildings. You know, you hear them say that the death toll in Ukraine will be higher. “It’s going to be a lot more than we have,” Trump said. “These are very long buildings, 15 to 20 stories high. They’re huge buildings. They’re so big, they’re flat like pancakes, and I was surprised.”
President Trump later described the conflict as a “genocide.”
Ahead of President Trump’s inauguration and future efforts to negotiate a peace agreement, Ukraine and Russia are aggressively advancing territorial expansion. President Trump says he plans to use his relationships with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to broker a settlement and quickly resolve the conflict, saying both countries are in a position to exert influence. The Wall Street Journal reported. (Related: President Trump announces plans to sue news organizations over poll showing Harris ahead in 2024 election)
Last month, Ukraine launched an attack deep into Russia using long-range missiles provided by the United States for the first time in the two-year conflict. President Joe Biden’s authorization of these missile strikes has puzzled some national security experts because of the potential risks.
President Trump has named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as his new special envoy for Russia and Ukraine. President Trump praised Kellogg on “Truth Social,” citing his extensive experience in the military and business fields.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
