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The Trump Campaign Promise on a Tight Deadline: Ending the War in Ukraine

Trump told voters he would end the war in Ukraine before he took office. Even his allies are skeptical.

Election 2024 Russia
Trump spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the phone after winning the election. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

One of Donald Trump’s many lofty campaign promises will be tested before he takes office: a self-imposed deadline to end the war in Ukraine.

On podcast appearances and at stump speeches, Trump consistently claimed that he would see to the end of the conflict. “I will have that war settled when I’m president-elect,” Trump told podcast host Shawn Ryan in late August. “Meaning, before I get to office on Jan. 20.”

He told Logan Paul that he would push for the war to be over “right after the election.”