Newly elected US President Donald Trump criticized the use of US missiles by Ukraine for attacks deep into Russian territory in an interview with Time magazine, which named him Person of the Year for the second time. During the extensive interview, Trump talked about his election victory, the economy, the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, and outlined his plans for a second term.
"It's crazy what's happening. Madness. I am very strongly opposed to sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why do we do it? We are only escalating this war and making the situation worse. That should not have been allowed," Trump said in an interview with an American magazine. "Now they use not only rockets, but also other types of weapons. And I think it's a big mistake, a very big mistake," he said.
Trump has said he wants a quick end to the nearly three-year war. He told Time that he had a "very good plan" to help, but that if he revealed it now, "that plan would become almost worthless." When pressed by journalists to answer the question of whether he would leave Ukraine, Trump said: "I want to reach an agreement, and the only way to reach an agreement is not to leave."
He said the number of people dying in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not sustainable. “I'm talking about both sides. It is really in the interest of both parties to end this". He also said that the situation in Ukraine is further complicated by the interference of North Korea. “But look, when North Korea gets involved, that's another element that further complicates the situation. And I know Kim Jong Un, I get along very well with him. "I'm probably the only person he really dealt with," Trump said.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, met with the Greens and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last weekend. Sources told Reuters that during the meeting, Zelensky used the opportunity to explain Ukraine's need for security guarantees in any negotiated end to the war with Russia. Trump's pledge to end the conflict quickly has raised concerns in Kiev that it could be largely on Moscow's terms.
Asked if he had spoken to Putin since his election victory, Trump declined to answer, saying: “I can't tell you. I can't tell you. It's just not appropriate."
The newly elected US leader also said that he thinks the Middle East, although complicated, is an easier problem to solve than the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He believes that the problems in the Middle East will be solved and stressed the importance of the world not forgetting events like those of October 7, which he said was "a terrible day for the world, not only for Israel." “I think things are going very productively in the Middle East right now. I believe that the Middle East will be resolved".
When asked by a journalist from an American magazine whether he supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Trump, whose administration presented a comprehensive plan for a long-term solution with two states in his first mandate, said that there are other alternatives. "I support any solution that can bring peace. There are other ideas besides the two-state solution, but I support whatever is necessary to achieve not just peace, but lasting peace. It cannot continue to end in tragedy every five years. There are other alternatives," said the newly elected president.
Asked if he trusted Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said after a short thought that he "doesn't trust anyone". Trump said he wants an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and that Netanyahu knows it. Answering the question about the possibility of war with Iran, Trump said that "everything is possible" and that "it is a very unstable situation".
Trump has previously threatened Iran, whose elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the US government, tried to assassinate him. Iran has denied the allegations.
During his first term in office in 2020, Trump ordered a US airstrike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Trump said he would have a "big discussion" with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, about ending the vaccination program for children.
When asked if his administration is considering canceling certain vaccines, Trump replied: "It's possible, if I judge that they're dangerous, if I don't think they're useful, but I don't think it will end up being very controversial," Trump said. “We will have a big discussion. The rate of autism is at a level that no one could have imagined. If you look at what's going on, something is triggering him," Trump said. “I want to see the numbers. At the end of the studies we do, and we do them completely, we will know what is good and what is not".
Kennedy, who opposed state and federal restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic and has been accused of spreading misinformation about the virus, has for years expressed doubts about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, including claims of a link between vaccines and autism.
Many of the claims that vaccines cause autism stem from a discredited study by British physician Andrew Wakefield, published in 1998 in the medical journal The Lancet.
Kennedy claims he is not "anti-vaxxer," but he chairs Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging. “He (Kennedy) is not against vaccines, all vaccines. He probably opposes some,” Trump said.
In explaining the decision to declare Trump as Person of the Year, "Time" cited his profound influence on American politics and the country's role in the world.
"For a comeback of historic proportions, for leading a once-in-a-generation political upheaval, for reshaping the American presidency and changing America's role in the world, Donald Trump is Time's Person of the Year for 2024," wrote the magazine's editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs in a letter to readers.
This magazine previously named Trump as "Person of the Year" in 2016 after his first victory in the presidential elections. For 2020, Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris won the title after defeating Trump. Last year, the title went to pop star Taylor Swift.
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