On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised more than once to end the war in Ukraine in one day. He even said that if elected, he would have “it settled before I even become president.”
Mr. Trump said: “I would tell Zelenskyy, no more [presumably weapons]. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot [presumably weapons]. We’re going to [give Ukraine] more than they ever got if we have to.”
Clearly, Mr. Trump’s threat to provide no more weapons to Ukraine is a powerful incentive for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to come to the negotiating table. At a minimum, stopping the flow of U.S. weapons would significantly degrade Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. In the most extreme case, it could mean Ukraine’s defeat.
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