The former White House strategist has called for an end to US involvement in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has warned that US President-elect Donald Trump could become entangled in the Ukraine conflict if he doesn’t take immediate steps to limit Washington’s involvement. In an interview with Politico published on Monday, Bannon compared the situation to former US President Richard Nixon’s handling of the Vietnam War, in which he inherited a conflict from the previous administration and was ultimately defined by it.
“If we aren’t careful, it will turn into Trump’s Vietnam. That’s what happened to Richard Nixon. He ended up owning the war and it went down as his war, not Lyndon Johnson’s,” Bannon, who is no longer a key figure in the Trump team, said. He argued that unless Trump clearly commits to stopping military aid to Ukraine, the conflict could overshadow his presidency.
Nixon campaigned in 1968 on a promise to end the war, yet once in office, he escalated US involvement through widespread bombing campaigns and incursions into Cambodia and Laos before ultimately negotiating a withdrawal from Vietnam. The war became a defining and controversial issue of his presidency.
Trump repeatedly stated during his 2024 campaign that he would end the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours” if reelected, but never provided specifics on how he would do so. While he has criticized US military aid to Ukraine, he has not explicitly declared that he would cut off assistance.
Bannon has urged Trump to make his position clear in his inauguration speech.
Russia reacted with skepticism to Trump’s promise to swiftly resolve the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has questioned the feasibility of a rapid resolution. Moscow has insisted that any peace deal must include recognition of the new territorial realities and address the root causes of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump’s team is reportedly preparing a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could be held shortly after the president-elect’s inauguration, CNN reported on Sunday. The primary goal of the call is said to be to discuss holding a face-to-face meeting to explore ways of resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Peskov has said that Putin is open to negotiations with the US president without any preconditions, while noting that there have so far been no substantial preparations for talks.
