(DCNF)—In his first press conference since winning the presidency, President-elect Donald Trump on Monday compared the ongoing war in Ukraine to the most devastating conflicts since World War II.
Trump said he’s committed to stopping the “horrible” war between Ukraine and Russia. During the press conference, Trump pointed to the extensive damage and high casualty rates and said the situation is grim.
“When you look at what’s happened to those, I mean, there are cities that there’s not a building standing. It’s a demolition site. There’s not a building standing. So people can’t go back to those cities. There’s nothing there. It’s just rubble,” Trump said.
“And, by the way, in those buildings are many people. Many people were in those buildings. You know, when they say the number in Ukraine is going to be a much higher number of deaths is going to be a much higher number than you’re hearing,” Trump said. “These are very long buildings, they’re 15 to 20 stories high. They’re massive buildings. I was surprised at how big, and they’re flattened like a pancake.”
Trump then described the conflict as a “carnage.”
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration and his anticipated efforts to negotiate a peace deal, Ukraine and Russia are aggressively pursuing territorial advances. Trump plans to quickly resolve the conflict, leveraging his ties with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to broker a settlement, with both nations positioning for leverage, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Last month, Ukraine launched a strike deep within Russia using U.S.-provided long-range missiles for the first time in two years of conflict. President Joe Biden’s authorization of these missile strikes has confounded some national security experts due to potential risks.
Trump has tapped retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as the new special envoy to Russia and Ukraine. Praising Kellogg on Truth Social, Trump cited Kellogg’s extensive experience in the military and business sectors.
