It’s got to stop: Trump says his administration will focus on ending Russia-Ukraine war

Says this during gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate — his first major speech and public appearance after his electoral victory

Washington: As Russia increasingly pounds the Kharkiv region and Ukrainian troops put all their might into keeping Moscow’s advances at bay, US President-elect Donald Trump has said his administration will focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, as he lamented the killing of people in the conflict.

He also said his administration will also work on bringing peace to West Asia.

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“We’re going to work on the Middle East, and we’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s got to stop,” Trump said during a gala for the America First Policy Institute held at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Thursday.

This was his first major speech and public appearance after his stunning electoral victory in the November 5 presidential elections.

“Russia and Ukraine’s got to stop. I saw a report today. Thousands of people over the last three days were killed. Thousands and thousands of people were killed. They happened to be soldiers, but whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns, we’re going to work it,” he said.

The President-elect has consistently said his priority is to end the war and stem what he characterises as a drain on US resources, in the form of military aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Lisa Curtis, who served as deputy assistant to Trump in his previous term and National Security Council senior director for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021, said the war in Ukraine needs to end in a way that does not encourage other nations to invade their neighbours illegally.

“President (elect) Trump has in the past talked more favourably about (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin than most US Presidents. He has also talked about trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. We haven’t seen yet how he’s going to do that,” Curtis said.

“I would just simply say that it needs to be done in a way that Russia faces some consequences for its actions,” Curtis said.

It needs to be done in a way that Russia doesn’t try to do the same thing two or three years down the line, she said.

“It needs to be done in a way that doesn’t encourage other US adversaries to try to illegally invade their neighbour’s territory,” said Curtis, who is currently a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Programme at Center for a New American Security think-tank.

Some of Trump’s top advisors were present at the Mar-a-Lago event. He praised Tesla owner Elon Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who are tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in his second term.

Trump also praised Hindu-American Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for Director of National Intelligence.