U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has once again vowed to end the nearly three-year-long war between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump also emphasized that he would ask the Taliban to return the U.S. military equipment worth billions of dollars, which was left behind in Afghanistan in 2021.
“I will end the war in Ukraine, stop this mess in the Middle East, and prevent World War III,” Trump stated at the Capital Arena in Washington on Sunday, one day before taking the oath of office as president.
However, he did not explain how he would achieve these goals.
Analysts argue that it will be challenging to end the war in Ukraine anytime soon, as Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he is winning and is not motivated to stop the war.
During the rally, Trump outlined his goals for the next four years, both domestically and internationally, including strengthening the military.
Trump will take the oath of office as the 47th president on January 20, with the ceremony taking place inside the U.S. Capitol for the first time in 40 years due to severe weather conditions.
In his speech, Trump claimed the U.S. is giving the Taliban “billions of dollars annually” and that he would stop this if the extremist group does not return the billions of dollars in American military equipment.
“We have to tell them we won’t give them the money unless they return our military equipment,” Trump said.
The U.S. left behind military equipment worth about $7 billion in Afghanistan when it withdrew in August 2021, after the Taliban regained control of Kabul.
The Taliban’s return to power has led to a drastic economic decline, with more than half of Afghanistan’s 24 million people needing humanitarian aid, such as food, according to USAID.
Since the Taliban’s takeover, the U.S. has provided over $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, according to USAID.
Since their return to power, the Taliban have been condemned by Western leaders, international organizations, and activists for serious human rights violations, particularly against women and girls.
