Critics are putting President-elect Donald Trump on blast after a key advisor appeared to back away from a major campaign promise.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office or even sooner.
But retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who Trump tapped to serve as special envoy to the two nations, told Fox News last week it would take longer ― echoing comments made earlier by Trump himself.
“Let’s set it at 100 days and move all the way back and figure a way we can do this in the near-term to make sure that the solution is solid, it’s sustainable, and that this war ends so that we stop the carnage,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, kicking off a costly and brutal campaign. The Pentagon last year estimated that more than 600,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the conflict, while Ukraine said last month 43,000 of its soldiers were killed, with another 370,000 wounded.
Kellogg told Fox News he had “a lot of confidence” in Trump’s ability to end the bloodshed.
“I think what people need to understand, he’s not trying to give something to Putin or to the Russians,” Kellogg said. “He’s actually trying to save Ukraine and save their sovereignty, and he’s going to make sure that it’s equitable and that it’s fair.”
However, his 100-day timetable is a far cry from Trump’s repeated vow to end the war much more quickly.
“I would fix that within 24 hours, and if I win, before I get into the office, I will have that war settled,” Trump said in 2023. “100% sure.”
Trump walked that back last week when asked for a timeline.
“I hope to have six months,” Trump told reporters at a press conference last week. “I hope long before six months.”
The president-elect’s critics offered some blunt reminders of his previous promise to end the war much more quickly:
