Former President Donald Trump has bragged on the campaign trail about knowing how to end the war in Ukraine in one day.
Opponents have been skeptical of his comments, but the former commander-in-chief clarified how he would do it in an interview with Fox News.
The Republican frontrunner for 2024 said he would negotiate with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin directly.
Trump was impeached for the first time in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He was accused of an inappropriate phone call with Zelenskyy in which he allegedly asked the Ukrainian to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, or risk losing military aid from the U.S.
Trump disputed the characterization of the conversation by Democrats, saying it was a “perfect call.”
“I know Zelenskyy very well. I felt he was very honorable because when they asked him about the perfect phone call that I made, he said it was indeed, he said it was. He didn’t even know what they were talking about. He could have grandstanded,” Trump said on Fox News.
The interviewer cut him off, claiming, “That’s not going to be enough for Putin to stop bombing.”
Trump continued: “I know Zelenskyy very well, and I know Putin very well, even better. And I had a good relationship, very good with both of them. I would tell Zelenskyy, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot. We’re going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to. I will have the deal done in one day. One day.”
Trump did not say what kind of weapons he would send to Ukraine. The U.S. has sent Ukraine more than $40 billion in taxpayer-funded military aid since the start of the conflict.
Former Vice President Mike Pence previously said Trump could only end the war if he gave up Ukraine to the Russians. Pence is currently challenging Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“My former running mate likes to talk about solving it in a day,” Pence told Fox News, according to USA Today. “The only way you’d solve this war in a day is if you gave Vladimir Putin what he wanted.”
During the interview, Trump also said Biden was incapable of dealing with world leaders such as Putin, Zelenskyy, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
“These are smart people, including Macron of France. I could go through the whole list of people, including Putin. … These people are sharp, tough, and generally vicious. They’re vicious, and they’re at the top of their game. We have a man that has no clue what’s happening. It’s the most dangerous time in the history of our country,” Trump told Fox News.