Trump reportedly would pressure Ukraine into ceding land to Russia to end war

Former President Donald Trump has privately said he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by pressuring its embattled government to give up territory, the Washington Post reported, despite the repeated and vehement refusal of Ukraine's leaders to cede any land in the conflict.

Trump has said publicly he could end the war within a day of returning to the presidency, although he has revealed few details of his plan. The Post − citing people who discussed the plans with Trump or his advisers and spoke on condition of anonymity because those conversations were confidential − said Trump wants to pressure Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas border regions to Russia.

Russia seized Crimea a decade ago. Russian-backed separatists have been fighting in the Donbas for several years, and Russia took control of some areas of the Donbas after invading Ukraine more than two years ago.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry, dismissed Trump's plan. Ceding land would be damaging to Ukraine − and the world, he said in a social media post.

"In reality, that would mean the ultimate collapse of the post-WWII world order and a signal that the law of force now supersedes the force of law," he said.

President Joe Biden has defended Ukraine's position on any land grab, urged efforts to curtail Russian aggression and lobbied for another $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Some Trump supporters in Congress have threatened to block the aid.

Developments:

∎ Ukraine needs advanced air defense systems to protect its energy infrastructure from Russian missile and drone attacks and avoid power outages, Energy Minister German Galushchenko told Bloomberg.

∎ Russian forces in Ukraine have had an average of 658 killed or wounded soldiers per day since the war began in February 2022, the British Defense Ministry estimated. The average has increased each year, the ministry said, from 400 in 2022 to 693 in 2023 and 913 in the first quarter of this year.

Rep. Don Bacon issues warning: It's 'possible' Mike Johnson could lose speakership over Ukraine aid

Slovakia elects pro-Russian president

Slovak nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini won the country's presidential election on Saturday, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over the country. Pellegrini won 53.26% of the vote, versus 46.73% for pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok.

Fico, who returned to power in October, has turned the country's foreign policy toward Russia and initiated changes in criminal law and the media rights that have raised concerns in the West. Fico's coalition, which includes Pellegrini, halted Slovak official shipments of weapons for Ukraine. Slovakia, which borders Ukraine but not Russia, is a member of the European Union and NATO.

Slovakia's president has limited power but does ratify international treaties, appoint judges, serves as commander in chief of the armed forces and can veto laws passed by parliament.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia, Ukraine war updates: Would Trump press Kyiv to cede land?