On Friday, 12 December, President Trump awarded the 1980 U.S. hockey team’s Olympic gold medals at the White House and gave a terse answer to a Polish journalist on the war in Ukraine.
White House Awards Olympic Gold Medals
On Friday, 12 December President Donald Trump presented the 1980 Olympic gold medals to the former United States national hockey team, the team that beat the Soviet Union at the “Miracle on Ice.” He awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal, the U.S. highest civilian honor.
Trump’s Response to Polish Journalist
During the event, Polish Radio correspondent Marek Wałkuski asked Trump how the 45‑year‑old victory might offer a lesson for Ukraine. Trump replied, “It’s a similar situation, right?” He added that talks aiming to secure a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine were underway and that “we’ll see.” He warned that without a settlement, “we will see many deadly casualties.” He cited 25,000 soldiers killed in the last month in both Ukraine and Russia and declared the figure “ridiculous.”
White House Confirms President’s Frustration
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the president is tired of talks with Russia and Ukraine, expressing extreme frustration with both sides and a desire for decisive action rather than meetings. She noted that the administration spent over 30 hours in the past nine weeks on meetings with Russian, Ukrainian and European officials, and that “we’ll see what happens this weekend.” Leavitt also mentioned that Ambassador Steve Witkoff and his team are continuing their work.