Trump's War Pledge Outrun by Four and a Half Years of Fighting
The president promised before taking office to settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but fighting has now lasted more than 1,600 days.
By Anthony Brooks ·
The war in Ukraine has run more than four and a half years, outlasting President Donald Trump's campaign pledge to have it settled before he took office. Trump repeated the promise dozens of times during the campaign. At a July 7, 2023 rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he said: "Before I even arrive at the Oval Office shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled."
Trump has since met twice with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy at the White House and once with Russian President Vladimir Putin in August 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. After the Alaska meeting, Trump said he believed they had a "very productive meeting" and had made "some headway," adding: "There's no deal until there's a deal."
On Sept. 18, Trump signed bipartisan legislation named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) imposing sanctions and tariffs on Russia. On Oct. 16, he signed an executive order waiving those sanctions.
The pledge remains unfulfilled more than four years after Trump first made it, and fighting continues.
Source: WCJB
