Russia’s UN ambassador refutes Trump pledge to end Ukraine war in a day

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s United Nations ambassador, on Monday refuted former President Trump’s frequent claim that he could end the war in Ukraine in a day if he is elected to another term in the White House.

“The Ukrainian crisis cannot be solved in one day,” Nebenzia said at a news conference when asked about Trump’s pledge to do so. “That’s objective.”

Trump has often touted his deal-making skills in suggesting he could negotiate an end to foreign crises, especially Russia’s war in Ukraine. He has not provided details on his plans, however.

“If it’s not solved, I will have it solved in 24 hours with Zelensky and with Putin,” Trump said last March in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir 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; it’ll never work. But it’s a very easy negotiation to take place. I will have it solved within one day, a peace between them. Now that’s a year and a half. That’s a long time. I can’t imagine something not happening,” Trump added.

At a CNN town hall two months later, in May 2023, Trump made similar remarks.

“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,” Trump said, adding that the resolution would come after he first met with Zelensky and Putin.

Nebenzia, in his response to the reporter on Monday, detailed some of the complexities of the negotiation process. He suggested there was an opportunity to end the fighting in April 2022, but he blamed Western allies for blocking the deal. He also scoffed at last month’s conference in Switzerland, where 80 countries said Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be the basis for a peace deal.

Putin offered a cease-fire and the start of negotiations in June, in exchange for Ukraine withdrawing from some of its own territory that Russia seized at the start of its invasion and abandoning plans to join NATO. Zelensky has said that giving up land is a non-starter.

A Trump spokesperson responded to Nebenzia’s remarks in a statement to The Hill, saying, “President Trump is the most effective statesman and negotiator in history, and he will solve this conflict when he is elected.”