Trump: Russia's Kyiv offensive failed due to tanks getting stuck in mud

Former U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Russia committed a fatal mistake during its initial advance on Kyiv by diverting tanks from a direct highway route. According to Trump, the war could have concluded swiftly if Russian forces had maintained their course on the main road.

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This was a great concrete highway straight into Kyiv. About halfway, they would have been in the city in three hours, going about 80 km per hour – that’s almost the maximum speed of a tank.

Trump described a scenario where hundreds of Russian tanks were heading towards Kyiv on what he called a "great concrete highway." He estimated that they could have reached the capital within three hours, traveling at approximately 80 km/h, which he noted is near a tank's maximum speed. However, he stated that a Russian general decided to reroute the tanks through fields instead of the highway.

"A few days before, there was huge rain, so the equipment got stuck in the mud," Trump explained. He claimed that Ukrainian soldiers then destroyed the Russian tanks with Javelin anti-tank missiles, which he highlighted the U.S. had previously supplied to Ukraine. "They got stuck in the mud, almost like quicksand. The mud was like thick sand. They couldn't move," Trump recounted.

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A few days before, there was huge rain, so the equipment got stuck in the mud.

He reiterated his belief that had the Russian tanks proceeded on the highway, they would have reached Kyiv within four hours. "That war would have ended in one day. It was a huge mistake. The general decided to go through the field instead of the highway," Trump declared.

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They got stuck in the mud, almost like quicksand. The mud was like thick sand. They couldn't move.

The article also briefly mentions Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for Russian citizens to pressure the Kremlin to end the war, citing data suggesting over half of Russians favor stopping military actions. Zelenskyy also noted that Russians understand their forces have not achieved significant results on the battlefield.

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That war would have ended in one day. It was a huge mistake. The general decided to go through the field instead of the highway.