Sen Markwayne Mullin claims Trump is the 'only person' who can end Russia-Ukraine war

WASHINGTON, DC: As President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago, Senator Markwayne Mullin declared that the POTUS is the only person capable of negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a televised interview on Sunday, December 28, the Oklahoma senator praised Trump as an essential broker, highlighting his economic pressure on Russia, even as any peace deal would ultimately require agreement from both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Markwayne Mullin highlights Trump's efforts to make a peace deal

“It takes two people to agree to a peace deal at this point. It's Putin and Zelensky,” Mullin said. “However, the person and the only person in the world who can negotiate that is President Trump.”

The senator also highlighted Trump’s efforts to pressure Russia economically, including imposing sanctions on oil and targeting countries that purchase what he called “sanctioned” oil, aiming to push Moscow to the negotiating table.

Mullin added that Russia’s economy is “starting to weaken” and suggested it had grown under former President Joe Biden because the US “turned a blind eye” to Russia’s actions.

The 48-year-old also noted that Trump is urging Zelensky to define the terms Ukraine could accept, while acknowledging that “it’s not likely that Ukraine’s going to be made whole.”

Markwayne Mullin backs Trump's approach to Venezuela

When asked about Iran’s president saying the country is “at war” with the US and Europe, Mullin called it “rhetoric” and said Iran doesn’t have the ability to carry out those threats, though he acknowledged the country’s connections to militant groups. “They may be terrorists, but they're not suicidal, not the leadership,” Mullin said.

He also fully supported Trump’s approach to Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro. Referring to a New York Times opinion piece that described Venezuela as run by criminals, he said, “Absolutely, 100% back the president on this.”

He accused Maduro of turning the government into a “te**orist organization” and allowing drug trafficking. “The only way to actually stabilize this is that Maduro has to leave,” Mullin said, adding that the US should focus pressure where the drugs are coming from.

Markwayne Mullin previously hailed Trump for his peace efforts

Mullin also previously praised Trump in February, saying he is the only person who can pressure Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Speaking with Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ 'This Week', Mullin said, “Putin knows the one person that can truly change the war is the United States. If we went all-in for Ukraine, if we went all-in with the resources we have, from air superiority to the weapons that we can deploy to Ukraine, Putin knows at that point he would be in an extremely negative position."

The Oklahoma politician added, “I think that being the opportunity for President Trump to talk to Putin and say, 'Listen, we want to end the war. We don't want to have to engage more, but we're not going to allow you to move forward. So let's negotiate a peace deal here, or you're going to force our hand to be further involved.'"

Despite ongoing backlash, Mullin praised Trump’s negotiation tactics and continued to support his approach.