Trump refuses to back Kyiv in Russian war

DONALD TRUMP yesterday repeatedly declined to say if he wants Ukraine to win in its war against Russia.

Mr Trump’s extraordinary comments will send shockwaves through Kyiv and allied capitals.

They came during a 70-minute CNN town hall, which was the first major television event of the 2024 presidential campaign. As he took questions from Republican voters in New Hampshire, Mr Trump also declined to say if he believed Vladimir Putin was a war criminal. The former president, who is the clear favourite for the Republican nomination, was asked by moderator Kaitlan Collins: “Do you want Ukraine to win this war?”

Mr Trump responded: “I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people and breaking...” Ms Collins interjected: “That’s a really important statement... can you say if you want Ukraine or Russia to win this war?” Mr Trump said: “I want everybody to stop dying, they’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying.

“And I’ll have that done in 24 hours, I’ll have it done, you need the power of the presidency to do it.”

Ms Collins, whom Mr Trump at one point called a “nasty person”, pressed him again, telling him: “You won’t say you want Ukraine to win...”

He responded: “You know what I’ll say? I’ll say this. I want Europe to put up more money because they’re in for $20billion (£16billion, we’re in for $170 billion. And they should equalise. They have plenty of money.

“I want Europe to put up more money. Because they’re laughing at us.

They think we’re a bunch of jerks. We’re spending $170 billion for faraway land, and they are right next door to that land and they’re in for 20. I don’t think so.”

Mr Trump went on to say that Putin was a “smart guy” who made a “tremendous mistake”.

The former president said: “He would have never done it if I was president. We used to talk about it.”

He added: “Right now we want to get that settled. If I’m president I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours.”

Mr Trump said he would do that by speaking to Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. He said: “They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths. And within 24 hours, that will be settled. It’ll be over.”

Asked if he believed Putin was a war criminal, he did not give a definitive answer, saying it should be “discussed later”.