U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday resumed his attempts to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, falsely claiming the Ukrainian leader shared responsibility for “millions” of deaths.
Speaking during a meeting with El Salvador’s president, Trump claimed the war could be attributed to “three people”: Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Zelensky. “Let’s say Putin number one,” Trump said, “but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky.”
He went on to criticize Zelensky for repeatedly requesting military support, saying dismissively, “He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” and suggested Ukraine had no chance of winning against a stronger Russia. “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and hope people give you missiles,” Trump said.
Tensions between Trump and Zelensky have intensified in recent weeks, especially after a fiery public exchange in the Oval Office in February. Ahead of that confrontation, Trump had echoed Kremlin talking points, calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and blaming Ukraine for provoking the war.
Despite a recent Ukrainian delegation visiting Washington to explore a proposed mineral deal pushed by Trump, the former president has escalated his rhetoric, casting doubt on Ukraine’s leadership and war strategy.
Still, Trump insisted a peace deal was possible. “I want to stop the killing,” he said, adding that new proposals were on the way.
His remarks came after a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least 35 people on Sunday — one of the deadliest attacks of the war. Trump downplayed the incident, calling it a “mistake,” while Russia claimed it had targeted Ukrainian military leaders.
In a CBS interview aired Sunday, Zelensky urged Trump to visit Ukraine to witness the scale of the devastation firsthand.
AFP
