Key points
- During campaign, Trump claimed to solve Ukraine conflict within 24 hours
- Trump’s inaugural speech largely centred around domestic issues
- His aides acknowledge achieving peace might extend beyond initial promises
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump, in his inaugural address on January 20, 2025, conspicuously omitted any mention of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This absence stands in contrast to his campaign speeches, where he frequently asserted his ability to swiftly end the war.
It is one thing to be a candidate and quite another when you are a president. In contrast, his inauguration speech revolved around domestic issues such as national sovereignty, economic revitalization, and border security.
According to Reuters, he declared the start of a “golden age of America,” pledging to “put America first” in all policy decisions.
Changed priorities
Key initiatives from that speech included declaring a national emergency at the southern border to stop illegal immigration and, at the same time, designating cartels as terrorist organizations.
Following the above, he also announced plans to achieve energy independence and restore free speech.
Trump may have deliberately missed mentioning Ukraine to signal to Russia that the coming administration wants to find a political solution to the fiasco, saving billions of US dollars from going waste.
Campaign Promises
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump frequently addressed the Ukraine war, asserting he could resolve the conflict expeditiously.
He claimed, “I will have that settled in 24 hours,” suggesting that his rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin would facilitate swift negotiations, according to AP News.
According to NBC News, Trump said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”
However, as the campaign progressed, his aides, on the other hand, acknowledged that achieving peace might extend beyond initial promises, potentially taking several months.
Negotiations table
But, despite the overly ambitious plans, Trump maintained that his unique approach could bring both parties to the negotiating table.
According to Riaz Waheed, a political scientist and expert on the issue, “The omission of the Ukraine conflict in President Trump’s inaugural address suggests a potential de-prioritization of the issue in his immediate agenda.”
“While his campaign was marked by assertive claims to end the war swiftly, the lack of mention during his inauguration raises questions about the administration’s forthcoming foreign policy strategies,” he further elaborated on the issue.
Proposed Strategies
Trump’s campaign promised a re-evaluation of U.S. involvement in the Ukraine conflict. He criticized the financial burden of American aid to Ukraine, suggesting that European allies should assume greater responsibility.
His campaign vision included asking European countries to reimburse the US for munitions supplied to Ukraine and suggested a reduction in future aid.
Furthermore, Trump indicated that Ukraine might need to consider ceding some territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement. He also expressed opposition to Ukraine’s immediate NATO membership.
These campaign promises signalled a significant shift from established U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing a more isolationist stance.
Estimated casualties
According to Al Jazeera, “On December 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a Telegram post that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died on the battlefield since the beginning of the war in February 2022.”
“As of December 30, 2024, 427,000 Russian soldiers died or were injured in the war in 2024,” according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii.
In a release published on January 2, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry placed Russia’s losses last year at 430,790 soldiers.
