Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Jan. 20, giving a speech containing a bombastic sequence of bulletins and government orders, to not point out the declaration of two nationwide emergencies.
Setting out the objectives of his second time period, with billionaires Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg at his aspect, Trump took goal at all the pieces from transgender rights and electrical automobiles to drug cartels and a mountain in Alaska.
But he saved his feedback on U.S. overseas coverage comparatively imprecise and normal, and by no means as soon as talked about what’s more likely to be one in every of his administration's largest challenges — ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We now have a authorities that can’t handle even a easy disaster at residence, whereas on the similar time stumbling into a seamless catalog of catastrophic occasions overseas," Trump stated with out elaborating which occasions he was referring to.
Trump declared open season on drilling for U.S. oil and gasoline, saying it was time to "drill child, drill!" Though he didn’t talk about it within the speech, flooding world markets with U.S. oil and gasoline may probably push down costs and field out Russian oil, the nation's major income that it makes use of to fund its conflict in Ukraine.
A barely stronger allusion to the conflict in Ukraine got here when he criticized the administration of President Joe Biden for giving "limitless funding to the protection of overseas borders" at what he stated was the expense of "American borders, or, extra importantly, its personal folks."
Trump additionally stated he would "construct the strongest navy the world has ever seen," including that success could be measured "not solely by the battles we win, but in addition by the wars that we finish and, maybe most significantly, the wars we by no means get into."
"My proudest legacy will likely be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I need to be, a peacemaker and a unifier," he added.
Trump went on to focus on the ceasefire in Gaza which got here into power the day earlier than he was sworn in, however made no point out of any ceasefire or peace negotiations in relation to the conflict in Ukraine.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York
The brand new president campaigned on a message of ending the conflict in Ukraine inside 24 hours. After his election, he has since admitted that bringing an finish to the preventing in Ukraine will take for much longer.
When it comes to obvious concrete overseas coverage actions his administration will undertake, Trump solely made reference to the Panama Canal which he'd beforehand pledged to reassert U.S. management over.
"We’re taking it again," Trump stated, accusing Panama of mismanaging the essential commerce route and permitting China to take de facto management of it.
We requested six Ukrainians what they made from Trump's omission of Ukraine and Russia's full-scale invasion from his inauguration speech.
Volodymyr Aryev
lawmaker from the European Solidarity faction
Trump is the president of america, not of Ukraine. It’s comprehensible why his speech was centered on the U.S. I don’t see an enormous downside in the truth that he didn’t point out Ukraine.
Aryev stated that it's extra necessary for him that Trump is planning to stress Russian President Vladimir Putin to achieve a peace deal and to extend oil manufacturing, which would cut back costs.
It's a much bigger blow for Russia than any statements.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn
lawmaker and head of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on freedom of speech
We perceive that Trump will prioritize inside affairs over exterior issues. Like all political advisor will inform you, speaking about one thing traumatizing in an inauguration speech isn’t as efficient as one thing motivating.
"We perceive that Trump will prioritize inside affairs over exterior issues."
We do not forget that Trump promised to complete the conflict in 24 hours, however even earlier than the inauguration speech, he and his workforce understood, that for that purpose, they wanted far more time and that not hours, not days, not even months could be sufficient. And simply after the inauguration speech, speaking with the mass media, Trump stated that he was prepared to talk with Putin, however solely after the start of the negotiation course of.
Sure, for Ukraine it might have been higher to have been talked about within the inauguration speech as a result of it (would) present that Ukraine, the top of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is among the many priorities for Trump's new time period. However we all know that it's not.
Artem Chapeye
creator and soldier within the Ukrainian military
(Ending the conflict in) 24 hours is over, isn’t it? Elon Musk sort of overwhelmed even Trump with the present (Musk made a controversial salute in a separate speech later within the day).
I don’t imagine it issues what they are saying publicly, it’s only a workforce of attention-seekers.
Mykyta Poturayev
lawmaker in President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the Folks get together
President Trump expressed his — so to talk — philosophy about wars basically. I'm referring to his view on the U.S.'s mission and position in ongoing or potential wars and conflicts.
That is sufficient for me personally (to grasp his perspective). Now, seeing how (Trump will method ongoing wars), it’s essential to work with him on a sensible stage.
'Volvo'
medic within the 166th brigade, Kupiansk
I can’t say if issues will likely be higher for us (now Trump has been inaugurated) as a result of Trump is unquestionably not a sympathizer of Ukraine.
He loves himself and can make choices and measures to maintain face. He promised to cease the conflict in 24 hours. Effectively, in 24 hours, in fact, he is not going to cease it.
However in any case, he’ll lead such a coverage to maintain face, his standing, his machismo, so to talk. And on this spectrum of his imaginative and prescient, Ukraine is unlikely to be a precedence.
Oleksandr Merezhko
lawmaker and chair of the Ukrainian parliament's overseas affairs committee
I’m not disenchanted as a result of it was anticipated. In truth, he implied Ukraine when he was speaking about the necessity to end the wars on this planet, and to forestall them from breaking out.
Moreover, Trump involves energy as, initially most, the president who will give attention to inside issues.
The crux of the matter is whether or not he can give you a practical plan to cease Russian aggression. As of now, I don’t see such a plan.
Extra reporting by Oleg Sukhov, Martin Fornusek, and Kate Tsurkan.
The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov