Zelenskyy tears into Donald Trump's claim to end Ukraine conflict in 'just 24 hours'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected former US President Donald Trump’s claim that he can end the intense Russia-Ukraine war in just “24 hours”. During an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Zelenskyy insisted that while the thought of ending the war is “beautiful”, it is not as easy as it looks. In January this year, the American business mogul-turned-politician proclaimed that he would have ended the war in just 24 hours had he won the 2024 US Presidential elections. The former US President then went on to blame Biden and his administration for “prolonging the war”. 

“It seems to me that the sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful. But this desire should be based on some real-life experience,” the Ukrainian President told ABC News on Sunday. “Well, it looks as if Donald Trump already had these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war, but we were at war, and as I assume, he had that time at his disposal, but he must have had some other priorities,” he added. Zelenskyy, however, noted that his US counterpart Joe Biden could have ended the war in “five minutes” if that came at the cost of Ukraine giving up its territories. “If we are talking about ending the war at the cost of Ukraine, in other words, to make us give up our territories, well, I think, in this way, Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes, but we would not agree,” he remarked. 

Is the American help enough?  

Zelenskyy’s interview came amidst a debate on America's support for Ukraine in the war. Many in the US feel that Washington is utilising a significant chunk of its resources to help the war-stricken country. When asked about Zelenskyy’s take on the situation, the Ukrainian leader made it clear that his country does not have an “excessive appetite”. “I would like to say thank you to all Americans for what you have done, and I appreciate those who say that you've done enough. Trust me, no matter what I appreciate the help,” the Ukrainian President asserted. “When it comes to the word enough, well, we, Ukrainians, are not people known for excessive appetites. Our victory is enough for us. Honestly, when we have enough for our victory, then it will be enough,” he concluded. 

Earlier this week, the Biden administration took a controversial decision to send cluster munition to Ukraine. The use of cluster bombs is banned in over 100 nations around the world including countries like the United Kingdom and Germany. Hence, what Biden described as a “difficult decision” attracted criticism from different factions. White House hopefuls like Vivek Ramaswamy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marriane Willamson have accused the US President of prolonging the war.

“Last year, WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the use of cluster bombs a “war crime.” Now President Biden plans to send them to Ukraine,” Kennedy wrote on Twitter. “Stop the ceaseless escalation! It is time for peace,” he added. He then pointed out that the US President was against the cluster bomb in 1982. “Biden was opposed to cluster bombs In 1982 as well when he opposed their sale to Israel. What happened to his conscience?” he added in another post.

Trump’s take on the war

Earlier this year, Trump had proclaimed that if he was the president he would have ended the war in 24 hours. "My personality kept us out of war," he said at an event in Salem, New Hampshire, in January. "And I told you before, (it) would have never happened with Russia. Putin would have never ever gone in. And even now I could solve that in 24 hours. It's so horrible what happened. Those cities are demolished now,” the former US President stated in his speech. He made the same claims on his social media platform Truth Social. 

In his post, Trump promised to do the same if he wins the 2024 race for the White House. “If I were president, the Russia/Ukraine war would never have happened, but even now, if president, I would be able to negotiate an end to this horrible and rapidly escalating war within 24 hours. Such a tragic waste of human life,” the former US President wrote on his social media platform in January. While Biden made it clear that he would support Kyiv till the end, Trump has proposed a peace deal in the past. However, that peace deal would see Ukraine making some concessions such as giving up its claims on the Crimean Peninsula and agreeing to not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).