Ukrainian human rights lawyer, Nobel laureate urges Trump to show strength and end war
President Donald Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “make a deal” to end the “ridiculous” war with Ukraine that began nearly three years ago. During the 2024 campaign, Trump often invoked former President Ronald Reagan's doctrine of “peace through strength” when talking about ending major world conflicts, including the wars in Russia and Ukraine. After taking office, Trump made it clear that it was time for Putin to come to the negotiating table.
“I don’t want to hurt Russia,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump threatened “high taxes, tariffs and sanctions on any goods sold by Russia to the United States.” It was reported a few days ago that Putin was worried about his country's economy as the war with Ukraine continues.
Trump calls on Putin to reach agreement to end war in Ukraine or face greater economic pressure
Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matvichuk believes that now is the time for Trump to show strength and end the war.
Left: Human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandr Matvychuk Right: President Donald Trump (Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Russia's ruthless invasion requires enduring international security guarantees. Any peace agreement must face Russia's hostility to protect Ukraine and the foundations of freedom and democracy,” Matvichuk said in a statement.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Matvichuk stressed the need not only to end the war that began in February 2022, but also to prevent Putin from achieving his “geopolitical goals” because she believes the Russian leader has no interest in peace.
“When we design this peace process, we have to design security guarantees that will make this (geopolitical) goal of Putin impossible to achieve,” Matvichuk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Mettora on May 9, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had told him he was prepared to negotiate an end to the war.
Ukraine: How war could transform in 2024
In his first interview since returning to the White House, Trump told Hannity that Zelensky had “had enough.” However, Trump said Zelensky was “no angel” while denouncing Putin, accusing the Ukrainian leader of fighting rather than making a deal.
Reuters reported in November that Putin was open to discussing a peace plan. According to reports, he may agree to freeze the conflict along current lines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin uses state media to spread the Kremlin's message. (Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Since Putin's invasion in 2022, Ukrainian civilians have had to adapt to life during a war. Matvichuk, from Kiev, described it as living in “complete uncertainty”. Her focus, however, was on exposing Russian atrocities. Nearly three years after the war broke out, she has documented some 80,000 Russian crimes.
“We don’t want to live in Putin’s world,” Matvichuk said. “We want to live in a world where democracy, the rule of law and freedom are respected.”
Ashley Carnahan and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.