Trump refuses to endorse Ukraine’s victory over Russia

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to say he would support Ukraine in defending itself against the ongoing Russian invasion, one of his toughest statements yet on the issue.

“A very simple question tonight: Do you want Ukraine to win this war?” moderator David Muir asked during the ABC News presidential debate in Philadelphia.

“I want the war to end,” Trump said.

“This is a war that is waiting to be settled. I will settle it before I even become president.”

Trump said he would speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin and “bring them together.”

Ukraine’s allies fear that Trump’s plan will amount to threatening to cut off – or end – U.S. military aid to Ukraine, in order to force Zelensky to accept Russian claims to the roughly 18 percent of Ukrainian territory currently held by Russian troops.

As Ukraine managed to reverse much of Russia’s gains by fall 2022, the conflict has devolved into a slow, grinding war of attrition.

In her response, Vice President Kamala Harris said Trump would be soft on Putin.

“If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be in kyiv right now,” Harris said, referring to the Ukrainian capital.

“The reality was to stand up as America has always stood up, as a leader who respects international rules and norms, as a leader who demonstrates strength, understanding that the alliances we have in the world depend on our ability to protect our friends and not favor our enemies – because we worship strongmen, instead of caring about democracy.”

Trump responded by saying that if he were president, Putin would be in the Russian capital, Moscow, rather than waging war, but would be happier than he is now.

“He wouldn’t have lost 300,000 men and women, but he would have sat quietly in Moscow,” Trump said.

According to official Ukrainian estimates, the number of Russian victims up to September 10 is much higher: 627,790.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a Ukraine ally on Capitol Hill, said on social media: “Trump is not going to say Ukraine should win the war because he wants Russia to win. I wish it wasn’t that simple, but it is.”