After US and Russian officials met without Ukraine, US President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Furthermore, he repeated Kremlin-aligned statements and held Kyiv responsible for the ongoing war.
Trump Claims Ukraine Could Have Prevented the War
On Tuesday, Trump argued that Ukraine could have stopped Russia’s invasion. According to him, Kyiv had the opportunity to negotiate and avoid the conflict.
“You should have never started it,” he told Ukraine. His comments came after Zelenskyy expressed frustration over being excluded from the Saudi Arabia talks.
However, Ukraine did not start the war. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.
Trump Suggests a Peace Deal Was Possible
Trump asserted that he could have negotiated a settlement.
“That would have given them almost all of the land… and no people would have been killed,” he said. “But they chose not to do it that way.”
Meanwhile, speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he personally likes Zelenskyy but prioritizes results.
“He’s fine, but I don’t care about personally, I care about getting the job done,” he stated. “You have leadership now that’s allowed a war to go on that should have never even happened, even without the United States.”
Trump Expresses Confidence After US-Russia Talks
Later, when asked about the US-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia, Trump expressed optimism. He stated that he felt “much more confident” about a potential peace deal, calling the talks “very good.”
“Russia wants to do something, they want to stop the savage barbarianism,” he said. “Soldiers are being killed by their thousands on a weekly basis, it’s ridiculous.”
Ultimately, Trump insisted the war would not have happened if he were president. He once again called it a “senseless war” that could have been avoided.
