Trump insists Russia’s war should end. But he won’t say if he wants Ukraine to win

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump spoke heatedly in Tuesday’s presidential debate about wanting Russia’s war in Ukraine to be over — but twice refused to directly answer a question about whether he wanted U.S. ally Ukraine to win.

Trump also falsely claimed that the war had killed “millions” since Russia invaded Ukraine 2 1/2 years ago, while the U.N. says 11,700 civilian deaths have been verified. And he claimed without evidence that Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, had bungled a diplomatic mission just days before Russia launched the invasion.

Trump’s comments are likely to heighten concern among Ukraine and its supporters that his return to the White House could push Ukraine into a losing peace deal with its stronger neighbor, Russia. Western-allied Ukraine depends on U.S. military and financial aid to keep up its fight against Russian forces, and it would have grave difficulty withstanding their attacks if the U.S. were to pull that support.

It’s “a very simple question. Do you want Ukraine to win this war?” moderator David Muir of ABC News asked Trump in Tuesday’s debate, the first of two times he pressed Trump for a direct answer.

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