SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
An old saying holds that no plan survives the first contact with reality. That has applied to President Trump's plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine. And we have a story this morning of how the president's approach has shifted since he took office. In 2024, Trump talked of ending the war in a day, or even before his first day, as he told the National Guard Association.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I'll get it settled very fast.
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TRUMP: I don't want you guys going over there.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Trump planned to use salesmanship and his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well, it turned out, as leverage on Ukraine. In February, Trump publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to the White House, one of many ways that he portrayed Zelenskyy as the problem.
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TRUMP: You're not in a good position.
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: I'm listening.
TRUMP: You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards. But right now, you don't.
ZELENSKYY: I'm not playing cards. I'm very serious.
TRUMP: Yeah, you're playing cards.
MCCAMMON: In March, a reporter asked Trump if he believed that Putin wanted peace.
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TRUMP: I believe him, I believe him. I think we're doing very well with Russia.
INSKEEP: And now comes the contact with reality. Putin and his government have continued repeating the same phrases about needing to address the root causes of the war, meaning that they needed to achieve all of their original war aims. And the fighting has continued, as well as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. In recent days, Trump said that Putin's talk often turns out to be, quote, "meaningless." And yesterday, the president of the United States announced details of a weapons deal to support Ukraine and said that Putin had misled him.
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TRUMP: And I always hang up saying, well, that was a nice phone call. And then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city. And I say, that's strange. And after that happens three or four times, you say the talk doesn't mean anything.
MCCAMMON: Trump says he still expects a deal with Putin. He gave the Russian leader 50 days before the U.S. will impose economic penalties. While talking with reporters during a visit from NATO's secretary general, Trump boasted about his ability to make peace deals.
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TRUMP: We've been very successful in settling wars. You have India-Pakistan. You have Rwanda and the Congo. That was going on for 30 years. India, by the way, and Pakistan would've been a nuclear war within another week the way that was going. That was going very badly. We did that through trade.
INSKEEP: Did that through trade, he says, which is what he now seems to be talking of doing regarding Russia, threatening tariffs and other sanctions on Russia in 50 days if Russia doesn't make a peace deal. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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