Reporters persistently pressed former U.S. President Donald Trump on his prior commitment to swiftly end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, emphasizing his declaration to achieve this resolution on his very first day back in office.
“I still have half a day left,” Trump quipped, before acknowledging his intention to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Trump commented on the state of affairs in Ukraine, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could not be content with the prolonged and grueling nature of the conflict. The large-scale invasion, initiated nearly three years ago, marks over a decade since covert Russian forces first entered Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.
“He’s grinding it out. Most people thought it would be over in about a week, and now it’s been three years. It’s not making him look good,” Trump remarked.
Providing alarming figures, Trump added, “We’re seeing reports of up to a million Russian soldiers killed. About 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives. Russia is the bigger country, so they can afford to lose more soldiers, but that’s no way to manage a nation.”
Ukraine has previously challenged Trump’s numbers. Officially, Ukrainian authorities report over 43,000 soldiers killed in action and more than 370,000 wounded. While the Kremlin refrains from releasing its own casualty numbers, Ukrainian estimates state that Russia suffered 150,000 fatalities and over 400,000 wounded just in 2024.
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