Trump won’t say whether he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war

Donald Trump defiantly stated he could end Russia’s war against Ukraine in less than a day during his high-profile town hall — but stopped short of saying he supported the embattled nation when questioned by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

The 70-minute event in New Hampshire was exciting from the start and saw Collins pressuring the politician on a range of topics at breakneck speed.

The lingering questions ranged from Trump’s recent loss in the Big Apple to allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Other sensitive topics included the January 6 riot and Trump’s litany of legal issues.

Finally, the discussion turned to the ongoing invasion of Eastern Europe, which Trump claimed would be over by the time he became president. When asked if he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war, Trump remarked, “I want everyone to stop dying. Russians and Ukrainians’ – and received thunderous applause.

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When asked if he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war, the president — who has been criticized during his presidency for being too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin — gave a decidedly diplomatic answer, along with a trademark boast.

The warm reception from the New Hampshire public was not limited to that assertion, with Trump – for the most part – successfully answering Collins’ questions in a stately manner.

When asked if he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war, the president – who was criticized during his presidency for being too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin – gave a decidedly diplomatic answer.

“I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of arranging so that we stop killing all these people,” the 76-year-old Republican explained.

He then took the opportunity to deliver a now trademark boast – which simultaneously served as a barb to his successor Joe Biden.

“If I am president, I will settle that war in one day, 24 hours,” he said again to applause.

When Collins asked directly for the second time if he supports Ukraine, Trump received another slanted response that was well received — one in which he claimed he just wants “everyone to stop dying.”

“Russians and Ukrainians, I want them to stop dying,” he said, before repeating the second half of the sentence with particular emphasis.

‘And I can do that within 24 hours.’

When asked a third time, Trump hinted at his stance on the issue by simply saying, “I’ll say this: I want Europe to set aside more money.”

He went on to snipe, “They’ve got plenty.”

The warm reception from the New Hampshire public was not limited to that claim, with Trump — for the most part — answering Collins’ questions in a stately manner.

The long-running event was intended to be a public forum, but largely served as a sparring match between Trump and Collins, which at times threatened to degenerate into a full-blown brawl.

That said, even after Trump called the former White House CNN and Daily Caller correspondent a “vile person” after being asked why he had classified documents in his possession, Collins kept her cool and the ex-president followed her example.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, he praised President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he “supported me with a false impeachment, impeachment hoax number one.”

“I was completely exonerated, by the way,” Trump certainly added.

However, Collins continued to warmly point out inconsistencies in the Republican’s statement

“You were dropped off over that. You were dropped off for that.’

“I was ripped off by a crazy woman named Nancy Pelosi,” Trump said.

He said he would meet Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to settle the war.

“They both have weaknesses and both strengths and within 24 hours that war will be settled,” Trump noted.

He wouldn’t say Putin was a war criminal, but admitted that the Russian president “made a huge mistake.”