UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 Donald Trump has said repeatedly he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he鈥檚 elected president again. Russia鈥檚 United Nations ambassador says he can鈥檛.
When asked to respond to the claim from the presumptive Republican nominee, Vassily Nebenzia told reporters Monday that "the Ukrainian crisis cannot be solved in one day.鈥
At a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump said: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I鈥檒l have that done 鈥 I鈥檒l have that done in 24 hours.鈥 He said that would happen after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he keeps repeating the claim on the campaign trail.
During last week's debate with President Joe Biden, Trump claimed, 鈥淚f we had a real president, a president that knew 鈥 that was respected by Putin ... he would have never invaded Ukraine.鈥
Nebenzia said the war could have ended in April 2022 in Istanbul when Russia and Ukraine were 鈥渧ery close鈥 to an agreement. Moscow invaded its neighbor two months earlier on Feb. 24, 2022, though Russia insists its 鈥渟pecial military operation鈥 began in 2014 after clashes in Ukraine鈥檚 east resulted in Moscow seizing the Crimea Peninsula.
The Russian ambassador blamed Ukraine鈥檚 Western backers for blocking the April 2022 peace deal and telling Kyiv to keep fighting Russia.
Now, he said, Zelenskyy 鈥渋s running around with his so-called peace plan which, of course, is not a peace plan but a joke.鈥 While meeting in Switzerland last month, nearly 80 countries to be the basis for any peace agreement to end the war. But some key developing nations did not join in and Russia did not attend the conference.
Nebenzia pointed to to 鈥渋mmediately鈥 order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounces plans to join NATO.
Zelenskyy, who has vowed not to give up any territory, rejected what he called an ultimatum by Putin to surrender more land.
The Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment about Nebenzia's remarks.
After Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces thwarted their drive to the capital. Much of the fighting has been focused in Ukraine鈥檚 south and east, where Moscow illegally seized four regions, although it doesn鈥檛 fully control any of them.
But Ukraine is still struggling to stabilize parts of its front line after from the United States was delayed for months before being approved in April. And Russia took advantage of the Ukrainian weapons shortage to and has made gains.
Nebenzia called Zelenskyy鈥檚 peace formula 鈥渁 nonstarter鈥 and said he needs to be 鈥渞ealistic鈥 and take into account . The more difficult the situation becomes for Ukraine on the ground, he warned, the more difficult diplomacy will become to end the war.
