Republican lawmakers optimistic Trump can end Russia-Ukraine war

Top Republican members of the House of Representatives accidental lawmakers person begun discussions astir Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine successful an effort to transportation retired President-elect Donald Trump’s run pledge to rapidly extremity the struggle there.

Lawmakers told VOA’s Ukrainian Service that they are optimistic that Trump tin execute his goal.

Republican Representative Mike Waltz, who was nominated by Trump this week to beryllium his nationalist information adviser, told VOA that “the president has been wide successful presumption of getting some sides to the array and is focused connected ending the warfare and not perpetuating it.”

Waltz said that portion Trump did not code Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine erstwhile helium gave a code to lawmakers astatine their enactment gathering Wednesday, helium said discussions astir the warfare were happening “off to the side.” He did not springiness further details.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who serves arsenic the seat of the House Armed Services Committee, was bullish astir Trump’s quality to negociate a cease-fire.

“I expect the president to negociate an armistice earlier the extremity of the year,” helium told VOA.

When asked however the United States would unit Russia to laic down its weapons, helium said, “I person an thought what it is but I’m not going to speech astir it.”

Trump spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin past week and urged him not to escalate the war, according to U.S. media outlets, archetypal reported successful The Washington Post. The Kremlin denies the telephone took place.

Republican Representative Michael McCaul, president of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who has been a beardown protagonist of U.S. subject assistance to Ukraine, told VOA that Trump wants to person a “very beardown subject beingness successful Europe,” portion of a “path of deterrence that yet volition get america to a play of negotiation.”

However, helium cautioned that helium does not judge that Ukraine has capable leverage close present for palmy negotiations with Russia.

Russia and Ukraine are engaged successful fierce battles successful eastbound Ukraine, arsenic uncertainty mounts implicit however a Trump presidency volition impact the warfare and whether the 2 sides volition beryllium pushed into negotiations. Analysts accidental that some sides are looking to summation their territory earlier immoderate negotiations instrumentality place.

When asked astir however the U.S. could unit Russia to the negotiating table, Republican Representative Tom Cole, who serves arsenic the president of the House Appropriations Committee, told VOA, “I deliberation you person to transportation them what is successful their champion interest.”

Cole said helium thinks the warfare has been a catastrophe for Russia, noting that the struggle pushed Sweden and Finland to articulation NATO, the Western subject confederation formed successful 1949 to supply corporate information against the Soviet Union.

He said talks successful the House person not yet led to immoderate definitive program connected the Russia-Ukraine war, but said, “I deliberation determination is conscionable anticipation that President Trump tin bring this struggle successful Europe — the worst struggle since 1945 — to a speedy end.”

Trump has yet to item however helium volition fulfill his run pledge to extremity the warfare quickly. During a gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful September, Trump said helium "can enactment retired thing that's bully for some sides.”

When asked astatine that clip whether Ukraine should crook implicit immoderate of its ain onshore to Russia to extremity the war, Trump said, "We'll spot what happens.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said connected the run way that suggestions by the Trump campy to make a demilitarized portion betwixt Russia and Ukraine astatine the existent conflict lines “are not proposals for peace.”

"Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is unsafe and unacceptable,” she said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Ukraine and its NATO allies Wednesday that Washington remains committed to putting Ukraine “in the strongest imaginable position” successful the last months of President Joe Biden’s administration.

“President Biden has committed to making definite that each dollar we person astatine our disposal volition beryllium pushed retired the doorway betwixt present and January 20th,” Blinken told reporters astatine NATO office successful Brussels connected Wednesday.

Trump told reporters successful September that his program to extremity the Russia-Ukraine warfare is “not a surrender.”

"What my strategy is, is to prevention lives,” helium said.

Kateryna Lisunova contributed to this report.