US President-elect Donald Trump, who during his election campaign announced his intentions to quickly end the war in Ukraine and support the American economy by introducing new tariffs, has faced his first real challenges. According to The Hill , after winning the election in November, Trump acknowledged that the implementation of his ambitious promises may be much more difficult than expected.
Trump has repeatedly said he will end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in a short period of time. In the September debates, he said that the war could be over before he officially becomes president. However, in his subsequent statements, Trump emphasized that resolving the situation in Ukraine will be more difficult than reducing tensions in the Middle East.
At a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said that resolving the conflict would require Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to compromise. He did not specify what concessions both sides would have to make.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Fox News that it would be “easy” for Trump to influence Putin. “He is stronger. The United States is stronger. The economy is stronger,” Zelenskyy said.
Economic promises and tariffs
Among Trump's key promises was to lower food prices by increasing energy supplies. He has often criticized the Biden administration for high inflation and has said that reducing the cost of goods will be one of his priorities.
However, in his later interviews, Trump was more cautious about these claims. In an interview with Time magazine, he noted, “It’s hard to knock down things that have gone up.”.
Democrats have accused Trump of breaking his promises even before he took office. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on Platform X: “Candidate Trump promised to lower food prices, but now he doesn’t seem to even try.”.
Despite his ambitious statements on Ukraine and the economy, Trump's implementation of his promises faces numerous challenges. Amidst claims of difficulties in regulating global conflicts and economic policy, critics note that Trump's campaign rhetoric may differ from his actual actions.
“Trump’s Peace Plan”: What is known about it
As UNIAN previously reported, Western media outlets, citing informed sources, wrote that the US president-elect's "peace plan" may include Ukraine's refusal to join NATO for 20 years and freezing the front line without returning the territories. According to sources, Trump does not yet know how he will convince Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sit down at the negotiating table.
Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitical Research Network, believes that US President-elect Donald Trump could sign two separate memoranda with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also expressed the opinion that Trump will try to freeze the war because it is impossible to end it.
But former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Oleh Shamshur said that one can only guess and make assumptions about what the main elements of Trump's peace plan will be. "Honestly, what we know does not add anything to optimism, but drives us into such deep pessimism," Shamshur noted.
