The words were said in response to a question from journalist Maria Bartiromo, who asked Trump if he had the impression that “Putin would be willing to end the war without taking much of Ukraine's territory“. The former president first nodded, then added:
— Well, he'll take something. They fought and now they have a lot of possessions. He won certain possessions.
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Later in the conversation, Trump confirmed that does not plan to transfer Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, citing the defense needs of the United States. He also noted that sees “huge potential” in future trade cooperation with Russia.
The interview was recorded on Thursday but was broadcast on Sunday, that is, on the day of his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the day before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
What did Donald Trump previously think about Ukrainian lands?
At the end of September, in his entry on the Truth Social platform, Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine could regain all the territories occupied by Russia.
“After reviewing and fully understanding the military and economic situation in Ukraine and Russia, and after seeing the economic problems it causes in Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is able to fight and CONQUER all of Ukraine in its original form” wrote the US leader on social media.
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He added, “thanks to time, patience and financial support from Europe, and especially NATO, the original borders that started this war are becoming a real option.” “Why not? Russia has been waging an aimless war for three and a half years that should have taken less than a week for a true military power to win,” Trump said at the time.
Donald Trump on Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East
Trump emphasized that, in his opinion, Russia had gained some of the areas “in combat” and would probably strive to keep them. He then referred to US foreign policy, claiming that the United States is the only one that “wins the war and leaves” without using the influence it has gained. He cited the situation during George W. Bush's presidency in the Middle East as an example of policies he disagreed with.
— I was in favor of at least keeping the oil in Iraq – he recalled.
