Trump's press conference on January 7: the most popular news turned out to be false due to translation issues.
On January 7, U.S. President Donald Trump held a press conference where he made a series of statements regarding the war in Ukraine. One of the most discussed topics was his perspective on ending the conflict. Trump reportedly claimed that he could stop the war in Ukraine within six months; however, it was later clarified that this referred not only to the war but also to a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could happen much sooner.
This interpretation of his statement led to confusion due to inaccurate translation, as the media focused on the end of the war, while Trump meant the possibility of negotiations. We reviewed the main news stories that turned out to be false due to translation issues.
1) When will the meeting with Putin take place: a question from a journalist.
Reports circulated online that Trump promised to end the war within six months. However, after a factual analysis, it became clear that he was referring specifically to a meeting with Putin, not a date for ending the conflict. Additionally, he noted that this meeting could occur much sooner, and the six-month timeline for ending the war resulted from a mistranslation.
"At the 52nd minute (52:10), one of the journalists asked Trump about a possible meeting with Putin: 'How soon do you plan to meet with Putin to discuss the situation in Ukraine?' To which Trump replied, 'I can't tell you that. I know Putin would like to meet... I think within 6 months... I hope much sooner than 6 months,'" Trump answered.
However, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, Trump said, "it will happen much sooner than six months." But it's unclear what exactly he meant: a meeting with Putin or the end of the war.
Almost immediately, Ukrainian news sites were filled with misleading headlines: "Trump hopes the war between Russia and Ukraine can be ended in six months," - Ukrinform. "Donald Trump stated that he hopes to stop the war in Ukraine in six months," - Babel. "Donald Trump does not rule out an escalation of the war in Ukraine and promises to end it sooner than in six months," - Forbes Ukraine. "Media: Trump would like to end the war in Ukraine in six months," - Left Bank (later clarified the publication: "Trump did not say at the press conference that he would stop the war in six months," analyzed the question to Trump and his response by the fact-checking resource "On the Other Side of News").
2) NATO and agreements with Russia
Trump also addressed questions regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. He emphasized that the agreement on Ukraine not joining the Alliance was "written in stone," but the media presented it as if there were an "established agreement" with Russia concerning Ukraine's non-accession to the Alliance. This may seem trivial, but it is significant.
Trump essentially accuses Biden of undermining the foundations of the security system in Europe. He also stated that he "can understand the feelings" of Russia regarding Biden allegedly violating the "agreement" not to accept Ukraine into NATO.
"The larger part of the problem was that Russia has been saying for many years, long before Putin, that NATO should not be in Ukraine. This was supposedly carved in stone," Trump said.
When asked by a journalist to explain when exactly the U.S. denied the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, the elected president stated, "I think that has always been understood."
"And somewhere along the process, Biden said: no, they should have the opportunity to join NATO. Well, for Russia to have someone right on their doorstep - I can understand their feelings about that," said the newly elected U.S. president.
What else Trump stated at the press conference in Mar-a-Lago
Trump emphasized his readiness to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, although he left several details regarding specific steps unclear. During his communication with the press in Mar-a-Lago, he stated that the war between the aggressor country Russia and Ukraine is now "much more complicated" and could escalate further.
"This war could become much worse than it is now," he noted.
From Trump's responses to questions about Ukraine, it was evident that he remains more interested in criticizing Joe Biden than in the actual circumstances of the conflict and the possibilities for its resolution. He reiterated that if he were president, this war would have never started.
During the press conference, Trump again expressed his intention to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, while not ruling out that he might do so militarily. Trump also promised to use "economic power" when asked if he would attempt to annex Canada. The newly elected U.S. president referred to their shared border as an "artificially drawn line." Among many other topics Trump discussed at the press conference, he suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "American Gulf." He also expressed his negative views on wind energy, stating that wind turbines "drive whales crazy."