Trump on Ceding Ukrainian Territory to Russia: “There’s Nothing Left, Just Rubble”

During a surprise press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 16, US President-elect Donald Trump addressed whether Ukraine should cede territory to Russia. In his response, Trump described the devastation across Ukrainian cities, stating they have been reduced to ruins, leaving people with nowhere to return.

“When you look at what's happened to it... there are cities where there's not a building standing. It’s a demolition site. There's not a building standing, so people can't go back to those cities. There's nothing there—it’s just rubble,” Trump said.

He claimed that the true scale of devastation and loss of life in Ukraine is being underreported.

“When they start doing the removal, they’re going to find that many more people were killed in the Ukraine war with Russia than is being reported. That includes soldiers. It’s a carnage that we haven’t seen since the Second World War,” he said.

Trump also noted that multi-story buildings have been flattened by bombs, emphasizing the challenges of rebuilding.

“They’re flattened like a pancake, and then they say nobody was hurt. Well, nobody knows who was in the buildings. A lot of people,” Trump added.

Trump also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to prepare for negotiations, suggesting a deal would be necessary to end the war.

Previously, US President-elect Donald Trump declared that Ukraine will be his top international priority when he takes office next month.

Earlier, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office asserted that Ukraine would not compromise its values or territorial integrity in efforts to resolve the war with Russia during a visit to Washington.