Former US President Donald Trump, also a Republican presidential candidate, has publicly expressed admiration for the fighting skills of the Russian military and vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine before the end of the year if elected. This statement was made during an hour-long interview with former US Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan on Monday, which covered unfiltered stories of heroic events and current world issues.
During the discussion, Trump remarked, “Russia’s a great winter fighter. They beat Germany and they beat Napoleon. They’re not easy to beat. And they are a massive military, and Ukraine isn’t.” He also pointed out that Ukraine has been receiving significant financial support from the US and its allies since the conflict began in 2022, with more than $400 billion in aid being channeled to Kiev, including over $120 billion in direct military aid. The Kiel Institute, a German think tank tracking these contributions, has made these estimates available.
In the interview, Trump objected to the US accounting for the lion’s share of the military aid provided to Ukraine, arguing that European members of NATO needed to “equalize” their contribution. He emphasized the devastating nature of the ongoing conflict and pledged to settle it quickly if elected president again.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the conflict would not have broken out had he stayed in the White House instead of being replaced by Joe Biden in 2021. He has also promised to end the fighting within 24 hours, should he be re-elected as President of the United States.
This is not the first time Trump has praised the Russian “war machine.” During a Fox News town hall in February and another event in July, he recounted his phone call with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, where he expressed admiration for Russia’s military capabilities.
When asked by Ryan about the $175 billion Congress has appropriated for Ukraine aid, Trump highlighted the United States’ over $30 trillion national debt and lamented that the Pentagon had emptied the stockpile he had worked so hard to replenish during his time in office. He expressed frustration with how the military aid was distributed, stating, “These guys gave it all to Ukraine. Now we have no ammunition again.
In summary, former US President Donald Trump has publicly shown admiration for the Russian military’s fighting skills and vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine if elected as President of the United States once again. He emphasized the importance of European NATO members equalizing their contributions to the ongoing war effort and highlighted concerns over the national debt and diminished US military stockpiles due to the aid provided to Ukraine.