A senior State Department official has expressed skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin making peace in Ukraine before the results of the US elections in November 2024.
During a press briefing after a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels the official, who requested anonymity, conveyed the alliance's ongoing support for Ukraine while acknowledging the slim chances of a peace agreement in the coming year, Reuters reports.
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"I expect Putin will not pursue peace or any significant peace efforts until he observes the outcome of our elections," the official stated.
The remarks come amid concerns that a potential victory for former President Donald Trump could weaken Western backing for Kyiv.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-November indicated a close race between Trump and current US President Joe Biden, with Trump leading by 51% to Biden's 49%.
Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he could end the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours” if elected.
During an interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” the former US president said he has “a good relationship with both Zelensky and Putin,” and added his opinion that President Biden is not capable of dealing with world leaders.
During a June “Town Hall” campaign event on Fox News, host Sean Hannity said: “Mr. President, let me ask. Serious question. How do you stop that war in 24 hours?”
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He replied: “I will get them into a room, and I know an exact way. You tell one ‘You’re not going to get anything unless you make a deal.’ You tell the other one ‘They’re going to get a lot unless you make a deal.’
“And you just sit them, and you put them, and you have to make a determination.”
Although Trump did not say which one was which, his comments appear to suggest he would force Ukraine to accept the loss of territories illegally occupied and annexed by Russian forces with the threat of rewarding President Putin with even more if they refuse to accept his offer.
Zelensky, in an early November interview with NBC News, invited Trump to Kyiv, intending to explain in “24 minutes” why stopping the war in a single day is impossible.
A couple of weeks later, in his recent interview with FOX News, Ukraine's President said he was ready to meet with former US President Donald Trump and discuss his proposals for a war-ending peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow but will not surrender territory or Ukraine’s independence.
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