The Biden administration allowed the war in Ukraine to continue without any prospects for peace, but President Donald Trump has strongly voiced the U.S.'s desire that the fighting end, Veterans Administration Secretary Doug Collins told Newsmax on Thursday.
"What we didn't see in previous administrations that we're seeing now in this administration is a clear 'let's' solve the problem,'" Collins told "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"We're tired of going around the edges. We're tired of letting this become a stalemate that we saw in World War I — kind of trench warfare, where they're moving maybe 50 yards in a day sometimes.
"But that doesn't solve anybody's problem. It doesn't solve Ukraine's problem. It doesn't solve Russia's problem," he said.
"It heightens the state of the world to realize that we need to do much more on the front end."
Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly are meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss President Donald Trump's push for Ukraine and Russia to begin negotiations to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Trump, who talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, said Thursday that U.S. and Russian officials would meet in Munich on Friday and that Ukraine was invited. But Ukrainian communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said Kyiv is not expected to participate.
"Donald Trump talked about this coming in," said Collins, who represented Georgia's 9th Congressional District from 2013 to 2021.
"He said, 'If I'd have been president, this wouldn't have happened.' ... I believe he'd have been much more aggressive on the front of making sure that people are at the table, that they understood the cost and how a wartime decision is not the best decision when you can actually work something out."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.