Benzinga - Former President Donald Trump is one of the leading candidates in the still-forming 2024 presidential race.
If Trump is elected in 2024, it could be good news for the ending of the war between Russia and Ukraine — according to the former president.
Trump's Says Russia-Ukraine Agreement 'Easy': Trump has stood behind the belief that Russia would have never invaded Ukraine if he was president of the United States at the time. In January, Trump said that he could end the war in 24 hours.
“If I were president, the Russia/Ukraine war would never have happened, but even now, if president, I would be able to negotiate an end to this horrible, and rapidly escalating war within 24 hours,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in January.
On Monday, Trump doubled down on the statement that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours' time.
This might sound like good news as the war has passed the one-year anniversary mark, but comes with the caveat that Trump said he will not tell anyone how to end the war unless he is president.
Speaking in an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Trump said that he should be in charge of leading peace negotiations between the two countries if the war is still ongoing when he is elected president in the 2024 election, as reported by the New York Post.
Not only would he end the war, Trump said that it would be “easy” to reach an agreement between himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“If it’s not solved, I will have it solved in 24 hours with Zelensky and with Putin, and there’s a very easy negotiation to take place, but I don’t want to tell you what it is because then I can’t use that negotiation,” Trump told Hannity.
While the war between Russia and Ukraine could be over by the time the 2024 presidential election is held in the United States, Trump also argued that it’s “a long time” and the war could get worse.
“If this thing isn’t solved by the time we have the election – which it’s possible it won’t be and its also possible we’ll be in World War III with these idiots that are doing what they’re doing – you could end up in a nuclear world war which will make World War I and World War II look like patty cakes.”
Trump told Hannity that he “got along very well with Putin.”
In February, Trump was criticized on social media for his plan to end the war, including getting Putin and Zelensky in a room together to “knock heads.”
Related Link: If Trump Were Presdient, Putin Would Have Invaded Poland Too: Scaramucci
Why It’s Important: Despite a potential indictment and arrest ahead of him in New York City, Trump has been showing favorable numbers in polls for the Republican primary in a potential battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not yet announced his official 2024 campaign.
DeSantis previously brushed off comments from a reporter when asked what he would have done differently in the Ukraine war after criticizing Biden’s response.
A recent poll from Fox News showed that 46% of U.S. residents believe support for Ukraine should be time-based. Among Democrats polled, 66% said the support should remain until Ukraine is victorious against Russia. Of Republicans polled, 61% prefer a time limit.
The poll was fairly split on whether people approve of Biden’s response to Ukraine with 48% approving and 49% disapproving.
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