- Donald Trump highlighted Russia’s military prowess during a rally on Tuesday.
- He praised Russia’s military history and mocked Biden’s commitment to aiding Ukraine.
- Trump also said that the US would be “stuck” in the Ukraine war unless he became president.
At a rally in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump praised Russia’s military history and reiterated his call to end U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine.
In his speech, Trump highlighted Russia’s past military triumphs, mentioning the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II and Russia’s defiance of Napoleon in the 19th century. “That’s what they do, they fight. And it’s not pleasant,” Trump remarked.
He also criticized the U.S.’s financial support for Ukraine, taking aim at President Joe Biden’s stance on the conflict. “Biden says, ‘We will not leave until we win.’ But what happens if they win?” Trump asked, implying that the U.S. would be entangled in the conflict indefinitely. He promised that if he were president, he would “get it done” by negotiating an exit. “We’ve got to get out,” he added.
Russia, meanwhile, continues to pressure Ukraine, with its military set to expand to 1.5 million active troops due to a recent decree from President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, analysts have questioned Russia’s ability to sustain its operations in Ukraine beyond 2025. The full-scale invasion in 2022 exposed numerous weaknesses in Russia’s military infrastructure.
Trump did not provide specific details on what kind of negotiation he would pursue. However, his running mate, J.D. Vance, has suggested a plan that would offer significant concessions to Putin. Vance’s proposal includes freezing the conflict, establishing a demilitarized zone along the current front line, and blocking Ukraine from joining NATO. Vance has previously expressed indifference about Ukraine, saying, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized this plan, telling the New Yorker, “That approach would broadcast to the world the following implicit rule: I came, I conquered, now this is mine.”
During his speech, Trump also made several inaccurate claims about U.S. military aid to Ukraine, saying, “We’ve given them close to $300 billion.” In reality, the U.S. has provided just under $56 billion in direct military assistance as of early September, according to the State Department. Total U.S. assistance related to the war, including economic and humanitarian aid, was $175 billion as of May, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Trump further claimed that Europe’s contributions were minimal, stating that Europe had given only a “very small fraction” of U.S. aid. In fact, Europe had provided around $126 billion in military and other assistance to Ukraine as of September.
Additionally, Trump falsely claimed that there was no conflict in Ukraine during his presidency, saying, “Russia was never going into Ukraine.” He added, “For four years they didn’t. When I left, they just went in.” However, this statement overlooks Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, both of which occurred before and during Trump’s time in office.