On October 20, 2026, US President Donald Trump expressed the view that Russia could have captured Kyiv in a matter of hours had it not been for technical issues faced by Russian tanks during their advance.
Assessment of the Situation in 2022
Trump noted that in 2022, Russian forces had a thousand tanks moving along a concrete road towards Kyiv. According to him, had the tanks continued at maximum speed, they could have reached the Ukrainian capital in just four hours.
Critique of Military Decisions
The US President emphasized that a Russian general made the decision to veer off the concrete road into agricultural land, which resulted in the tanks getting stuck in the mud. Trump believes this decision was a critical moment that halted the advance of Russian troops.
- One thousand Russian tanks were moving towards Kyiv.
- The general's decision to turn onto fields caused delays.
- The tanks got stuck in the mud, stopping the advance.
Trump's Conclusions
Trump believes that had it not been for this decision, the war could have ended in one day, and Russian forces would have faced no resistance. He stressed that the situation could have been entirely different had it not been for the technical problems encountered by Russian forces during their advance.