President-elect Donald Trump issued a forceful rebuke of Ukraine’s deployment of American-supplied missiles into Russian territory, labeling the strategy “crazy” and warning against further escalation of the conflict.
“I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia,” Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Thursday. “Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.”
The criticism targets President Joe Biden’s recent decision allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles for deep strikes into Russia, a policy change prompted by Russia’s deployment of 15,000 North Korean troops to the battlefront. Previous restrictions had limited Ukraine’s use of American weapons to defending its own territory.
While condemning the current approach, Trump remained enigmatic about his own strategy for ending the nearly three-year conflict. “I want to reach an agreement,” he said, claiming to have a “very good plan” but insisting its revelation now would render it “almost worthless.” The stance follows his weekend meeting in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which sources say included discussions of security guarantees in any peace settlement.
Trump described recent casualty figures as “staggering” on both sides, arguing resolution would benefit all parties. He declined to confirm any communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin since his election, calling such disclosure “inappropriate.”
The comments come as the United States delivers a new $988 million aid package to Ukraine, while Russian forces advance at their fastest pace since the war’s early phase.
