Kiev/Washington, Apr. 14, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his predecessor Joe Biden of being responsible for the war in Ukraine.
Trump criticized Zelensky for wanting US missiles, stating: “Listen, when you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war, right? You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size. And then hope that people give you some missiles.”
Trump had earlier expressed a different view during a reception for Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House, acknowledging that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not without fault. He stated that Zelensky, Biden and Putin all share blame for the conflict. “Everybody’s is to blame,” Trump remarked.
Trump’s focus was primarily on Zelensky, whom he had met at the White House in late February, where he publicly reprimanded him alongside Vice President JD Vance.
Reflecting on the meeting, Trump said, “We had a rough session with this guy over here. He just kept asking for more and more.”
Prior to the meeting, Trump had already accused Zelensky and Biden on the Truth Social platform of failing to prevent the war in Ukraine, writing, “President Zelensky and the corrupt Joe Biden did an absolutely terrible job in allowing this farce to begin.”
Putin had ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump is advocating for an end to the war and maintains close contact with the Kremlin through his special envoy Steve Witkoff.
His administration envisions a deal to end the war that aligns with Moscow’s interests, suggesting that Ukraine should abandon its pursuit of NATO membership and that US soldiers should not be part of a potential peacekeeping force.
Zelensky recently commented that the Russian perspective on the war has strongly influenced the US government, and earlier in the day he implored Trump to visit his country and witness some of the tragedy of the current war before committing to any purported peace solutions with Russia.
Mindful of his abrasive meeting with the US leader in Washington in February, Zelensky reiterated his respect for the US position.
“But please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelensky told US broadcaster CBS in an interview released on Sunday.
He hoped that Trump would then understand what he was dealing with, he said.
“You will understand what Putin did,” he said.
CBS recorded the interview with Zelensky during a visit to his home city of Kryvyi Rih. A Russian missile attack there on April 4 killed 19 people, including nine children and teenagers.
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