“He does not have a specific plan” – Merezhko on why Trump did not mention Ukraine in his speech

The fact that US President Donald Trump did not mention Ukraine during his inaugural speech is not a negative signal, believes Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, People’s Deputy from the Servant of the People faction.

“It would be better to name it, of course. But I am neutral about it. His speech, the main thing I wanted to say, his ideas were quite abstract. I see that he has no specifics and no concrete plan. He has, first of all, a desire to see himself as a peacemaker. And, secondly, the idea that it is necessary to end the war and hint at Russia’s war against Ukraine. And that’s all. That is, nothing new was said. And, based on this, we can conclude that he simply does not have a specific plan. That’s why he didn’t actually name Ukraine. This also shows that, apart from the idea and the general desire to be a peacemaker, there is nothing concrete today,” Merezhko said in a commentary to Radio Liberty.

Merezhko draws attention to the fact that Trump twice emphasized during his speech that he wants to see himself as a peacemaker and hears a hint of Ukraine in his words.

“And a very interesting thing. He said how the military power of the United States will be measured – not by the wars it fights, but, first, by the wars that the United States has ended or helped to end. This is a clear, transparent allusion to Ukraine. And, secondly, the wars in which the USA did not allow itself to get involved or start. That is, he sees it that way,” the deputy adds.

On January 20, Donald Trump, who won the presidential election in November, officially became the 47th president of the United States after being sworn in.

During his inauguration speech, Donald Trump did not directly mention Russia’s war against Ukraine, but said he wanted his legacy to be “a legacy of a peacemaker and a unifier.”

“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never enter,” said Donald Trump.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the post of US president. The Ukrainian leader noted Trump’s determination, and also emphasized that Trump’s “peace through strength” policy “provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace.”