According to a senior U.S. State Department official, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not agree to peace in Ukraine until after the November 2024 U.S. election. The official expressed concerns that if former President Donald Trump is reelected, it could lead to a change in Western support for Kyiv. Trump, a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine.
During a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, the alliance reaffirmed its support for Ukraine, despite acknowledging that a peace agreement is unlikely to be reached in the coming year. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, “My expectation is that Putin won’t make a peace or a meaningful peace before he sees the result of our election.”
The official declined to clarify whether their statement reflected their personal opinion or the view of the U.S. government, but mentioned that it was a “widely shared premise.” Despite not explicitly mentioning Trump or how the election result would impact support for Ukraine, the official indicated that all allies expressed strong support for Ukraine during the NATO meeting.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has provided substantial military aid and other support to Kyiv. However, additional funding for Ukraine is currently stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy invited Trump to visit Ukraine and see the scale of the conflict for himself. Trump has previously stated that he could end the war in 24 hours if reelected.
Reported by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis; Edited by Chizu Nomiyama
