Donald Trump Said He’d End Ukraine War in First 24 Hours. He Hasn’t

President Donald Trump has missed his deadline for ending the war in Ukraine within a day of taking office but even if his pledge to halt hostilities was far-fetched, his new administration has insisted that the conflict can be ended quickly.

Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg has been tasked with ending the war within 100 days, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing an unnamed source, but even that time frame would be optimistic.

Vuk Vuksanovic, associate at the London School of Economics think tank, LSE IDEAS, told Newsweek whatever ambition Trump has for a hasty end to the war, there is no agreement either on the territories Russia says it has annexed from Ukraine, or about Kyiv’s membership of NATO.

Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Russian foreign ministry for comment by email.

Why It Matters

The new president’s repeated pledge he could end the war in 24 hours had raised doubts. However, there is some optimism among Kyiv and its allies that the new president could change the calculus in the war as the Trump administration’s plans become clearer.

What Has Trump Said About Ending the War?

Elected officials are often accused of not keeping campaign promises, but Trump’s rhetoric has set new standards of optimism. He said in May 2023 he could end the war in “24 hours”—and told a rally in June 2024 he could end the conflict even before he entered the White House.

But there has been a realignment of this goal as media outlets noted how the war continued to rage two days after he returned to the Oval Office.

Trump did not mention Ukraine in his inauguration speech on Tuesday but has since told reporters that Vladimir Putin would be destroying Russia by not agreeing to a deal, later saying had he been U.S. president at the time there would have been no invasion.

Trump also said it was likely that the U.S. would increase sanctions on Moscow if Putin did not agree to negotiations as he touted his relationship with the Russian leader whom he in the same breath described as “smart.”

What Could Trump’s Ukraine Plans Be?

Details on the Trump administration’s plans are scant but in an acknowledgment of the war’s nuances, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS about his wish for a “sustainable” end to the conflict so it did not just restart in the next few years.

It is not clear whether the Trump team favors a plan Kellogg published last year, which includes a ceasefire ahead of peace talks, the current front line frozen and the partial lifting of sanctions on Russia. Under the proposals Ukraine’s entry into NATO would also be delayed and the U.S. would provide Kyiv with more arms if Russia were to refuse negotiations.

The plan also threatened a cut to military aid to Kyiv if it refused talks. However, the WSJ reported that Russia has shown no interest in cooperating with Kellogg.

Vuksanovic from LSE IDEAS said Moscow would not agree to anything other than recognition of Russia’s territorial acquisitions and Ukrainian neutrality—which Kyiv and its allies would not accept.

“Putin has even fewer reasons to negotiate as he believes that the balance of power has shifted in Russia’s favor,” Vuksanovic said. “Putin is more likely to insist that Russian troops reach the Dnieper River and then wait to see what the White House offers.”

“If he does not get what he wants, he may even threaten with further territorial moves, most likely against Odesa,” he added. “It remains more likely that this is a clash of interests and wills that will be resolved on the battlefield and not at the negotiating table.”

Sergey Mironov, leader of “A Just Russia,” which is part of Russia’s systemic opposition that backs Kremlin foreign policy said the U.S. willingness for talks showed that it was ready to recognize “the realities on the ground.”

He told Newsweek in a statement that Russia demands Ukraine’s neutral status and “renunciation of NATO membership.”

While Putin said this week that Moscow was “open to dialogue” with the new U.S. administration, comments by him and his officials suggest the Kremlin will not consider compromises to its demands for Ukraine to remain permanently neutral, for its military to be restricted and its government to be removed.

What People Are Saying

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday: “President Trump has handed retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg the job of ending the Ukraine war in 100 days. Almost no one thinks he can do it—especially the Russians.”

BBC broadcaster John Simpson on X: “It’s 24 hours since Donald Trump was inaugurated. Wasn’t the Ukraine war going to be sorted out by now? In fact, it’s scarcely had a mention.”

Vuk Vuksanovic, associate at the London School of Economics think tank LSE IDEAS told Newsweek: “No one with a decent grasp of this matter could believe that a conflict with such complex and deep roots could be resolved that easily.”

Vladimir Putin told officials on Tuesday: “[There] should not be a brief truce, not some kind of respite for the regrouping of forces and rearmament with a view to a subsequent continuation of the conflict.”

Sergey Mironov, leader of A Just Russia: “The willingness of the United States to negotiate with Russia is progress compared to the Biden administration.”

What Happens Next

Details of the Trump administration’s plans will become clearer in the coming weeks but Rubio has already said that any talks would require concessions from both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine wants security guarantees and it is not yet known whether the ones that Trump will agree to will satisfy Kyiv.