US President-elect Donald Trump announced that his administration will prioritise efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expressing concern over the loss of lives in the war. He also emphasised a commitment to promoting peace in the Middle East.
“We’re going to work on the Middle East and very hard on Russia and Ukraine. This has to stop,” Trump stated during a gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate hosted by the America First Policy Institute on Thursday. The speech marked his first significant public appearance since his November 5 election win.
Reflecting on recent news reports, Trump said, “Thousands of people have been killed in just the last few days. Soldiers or civilians, it’s a tragedy, and we’re going to address it.”
Trump has consistently advocated for ending the war, which he considers a strain on U.S. resources due to military support for Ukraine.
Former National Security Council Senior Director Lisa Curtis, who advised Trump from 2017 to 2021, emphasized that any resolution to the conflict must discourage illegal invasions. “The war needs to end in a way that holds Russia accountable,” she told PTI, cautioning that it should deter other nations from attempting similar invasions in the future.
Curtis, now a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, further highlighted the importance of a resolution that avoids emboldening adversaries to violate neighboring territories.
At the Mar-a-Lago event, Trump praised some of his key advisors, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whom he’s selected to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in his upcoming term. Additionally, he lauded Hindu-American Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee for Director of National Intelligence.
