U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican and ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said on Nov. 22 that Russia could not be trusted to engage in peace negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine.
"As much as I would like to believe we can negotiate with a tyrant, I suspect we may be deceiving ourselves," Rounds said at the Halifax Security Forum, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rounds' remarks stand in stark contrast to the views expressed by Trump, who has repeatedly pressed for a swift deal to end the war. Trump has also spoken admiringly of Putin on a number of occasions.
"Do you believe that this tyrant, if you offer him a part of a free country, do you think he's gonna stop?" Rounds said, as reported by Politico.
"I wish I could say there’s an easy way out, there's not."
While many of Trump's congressional allies have opposed ongoing military aid to Ukraine, Senate Republicans are generally pro-Ukraine and skeptical of negotiating with Moscow. Rounds went so far as to express frustration that the U.S. has not provided more weapons to Kyiv.
"I just feel so frustrated that we have not been able to provide them all of the equipment that they need, and all of the weapons systems that they need, in order to respond to the absolute tyranny coming from Russia," he said.
"I wonder why we haven't done more more quickly than we have."
Rounds did not criticize Trump directly and pointed out that his views were not those of the incoming presidential administration.
Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025. His push for speedy negotiations has sparked fears that Washington will pressure Kyiv to accept a deal that favors Moscow, including territorial concessions and a possible promise not to join NATO.
Chris York
