U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly said during his campaign that, if elected to a second term, he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine 鈥渋n 24 hours.鈥 But since his Jan. 20 inauguration, the road to a peace deal has been fraught with changing dynamics between the U.S. leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s rhetoric toward both Zelenskyy and Putin has evolved since the beginning of the year.
At the outset of his second term, Trump was conciliatory toward Putin, for whom he has long shown admiration. But in recent months the Republican leader has expressed , while he appears to have softened toward Zelenskyy after a February blowout in the Oval Office.
And on Tuesday, he said he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia 鈥 a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader鈥檚 repeated to end the war.
Here’s a look at what Trump has said so far during his second term:
Jan. 31
鈥淲e want to end that war. That war would have not started if I was president.鈥
Trump says his new administration has already had with Russia and that he and Putin could soon take 鈥渟ignificant鈥 action toward ending the conflict, which began in February 2022.
Feb. 19
鈥淎 Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
on his Truth Social platform drew criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in the United States, where defending Ukraine from Russian aggression has traditionally had bipartisan support. Zelenskyy said Trump was falling into a Russian disinformation trap 鈥 and he was quickly admonished by Vice President JD Vance about the perils of publicly criticizing the new president.
Feb. 28
鈥淵ou鈥檙e gambling with World War III. And what you鈥檙e doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that鈥檚 backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.鈥
and berated over the war in Ukraine, accusing him of not showing gratitude after he challenged Vance on the question of diplomacy with . The argument in the Oval Office was It led to the rest of Zelenskyy鈥檚 being canceled and called into question the U.S. support of Ukraine in its defense against . A few days after the blowup, to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy to seek peace.
March 30
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 going to go back on his word. You鈥檙e talking about Putin. I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 going to go back on his word. I鈥檝e known him for a long time. We鈥檝e always gotten along well.鈥
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the U.S. president said he trusts the Russian president to hold up his end of a potential peace deal. The comments were among the last positive remarks Trump made about Putin this year.
April 24
鈥淚 am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!鈥
In a Truth Social post, Trump was reacting to Russia attacking Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. It was the first of his rare criticism of Putin amid increased Russian attacks on Ukraine.
April 29
“A lot of his people are dying. They鈥檙e being killed, and I feel very badly about it.鈥
Trump addressed the toll on Ukrainians during an interview with ABC News after he met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral. It was the first time the two leaders had met since the Oval Office spat, and signaled a shift in Trump’s attitude toward the Ukrainian president.
May 25
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!鈥
made it clear he was losing patience with Putin as and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles in stepped-up aerial attacks.
June 25
鈥淗e was very nice actually. We had a little rough times, sometimes. He was ... Couldn鈥檛 have been nicer. I think he鈥檇 like to see an end to this, I do.鈥
Trump had a closed-door meeting with Zelenskyy during a NATO summit in The Hague. Trump’s comments to reporters later also opened the possibility of sending to Ukraine.
July 8
鈥淲e get a lot of bull—鈥攖 thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He鈥檚 very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.鈥
also said he鈥檚 鈥渘ot happy鈥 with his Russian counterpart and that Moscow鈥檚 is 鈥渒illing a lot of people鈥 on both sides. Trump’s comments during a Cabinet meeting came a day after he said the United States would send more weapons to Ukraine. It was a dramatic reversal after earlier announcing a pause in the delivery of to Kyiv, a decision that was made amid concerns that America鈥檚 .
July 13
鈥淚 am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said. He鈥檒l talk so beautifully and then he鈥檒l bomb people at night. We don鈥檛 like that.鈥
Trump’s remarks to reporters came as Russia has against Ukraine.
July 14
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say he鈥檚 an assassin, but he鈥檚 a tough guy. It鈥檚 been proven over the years. He鈥檚 fooled a lot of people before.鈥
Trump pushed harder against Putin during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. He said if there was no deal to end the war within 50 days, the U.S. would impose 鈥渟econdary tariffs,鈥 meaning taxes would target Russia鈥檚 trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow.
Trump and Rutte also discussed a rejuvenated pipeline for U.S. weapons. and then transfer it to Ukraine.
Aug. 15
“There鈥檚 no deal until there鈥檚 a deal.”
Trump from Putin during a summit in Alaska to end Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the bloodshed, even after for the man who started it.
The U.S. president had wanted to show off his deal-making skills. Instead, he handed Putin long-sought recognition on the international stage, after years of Western efforts to make him a pariah over the war and his crackdown on dissent, and forestalled the threat of additional U.S. sanctions.
Sept. 23
鈥淩ussia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’ 鈥
Trump posted on social media soon after meeting with Zelenskyy on the gathering of world leaders.
He also said he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a departure from that Ukraine would never be able to reclaim all the territory that Russia has occupied since it seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
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