Trump Said He’d End the War in a Day. Ukrainians Have Suffered

President Trump promised during his campaign that he would end the war in Ukraine in one day. By most measures, the conflict has grown worse for Ukrainians since his return to the White House: more civilians were killed and injured in 2025 than the year before, city centers faced more missile and drone strikes, Russia reclaimed territory, and the country’s power grid was nearly destroyed during its harshest winter in more than a decade.

After taking office in January 2025, Mr. Trump abandoned the previous American approach, making overtures to President Vladimir V. Putin while distancing the United States from Ukraine. U.S. aid to Ukraine fell by 99 percent in 2025 compared with the year before, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said, and the administration stopped providing American weapons to Kyiv unless they or Western allies paid for them.

At the same time, Russia increased production of missiles, drones, shells and mines and used them rapidly, in part to strengthen its position in talks Mr. Trump has pushed. Mr.

Ukraine

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