WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)— Former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently the Republican presidential nominee, has declared he has a foolproof plan to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, but he plans to keep the specifics under wraps unless he wins the forthcoming presidential election in November. He made the announcement during an appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast released Tuesday.
In a closely contested race against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump emphasized that his prospective plan is part of his broader strategy to address various global conflicts. “If I win, as president-elect, I’ll have a deal made, guaranteed. That’s a war that shouldn’t have happened,” Trump stated during the interview. He asserted that he has “a very exacting plan” to stop the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and hinted at having a strategy for China as well, while acknowledging he could not reveal these plans at the moment.
Citing the element of surprise as crucial, Trump explained, “If I give you those plans, I’m not going to be able to use them, they’ll be very unsuccessful. You know, part of it’s surprise, right?”
His comments have drawn attention, given the controversies surrounding his previous interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the podcast, Trump expressed concerns that the Ukraine crisis could escalate into a “third world war” and criticized the current global leadership, suggesting that several global hotspots are boiling over because “America has no leadership.”
Trump’s approach is reminiscent of earlier this year when his loyalists in Congress disrupted a bipartisan immigration plan, reportedly to prevent the Biden-Harris administration from gaining credit on the issue, which is poised to be a significant topic in the 2024 election.
The war in Ukraine, which began in early 2022 when Russian forces invaded the country, has resulted in thousands of civilian and military casualties. Western nations have imposed severe economic sanctions on Moscow in response to the aggression.
Vice President Harris has been vocally critical of Trump’s past praises of Putin. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month, Harris vowed, “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators,” and pledged to “stand strong with Ukraine” if elected president.
Trump’s promises and Harris’s firm stance set the stage for a stark division in foreign policy approaches in the upcoming election, with significant implications for the future of U.S. involvement in international conflicts.
