U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky share the blame for the Ukraine-Russia war in an interview segment with Fox News released on Jan. 23.
The U.S. president, who most recently met Zelensky in Paris in December, criticized his Ukrainian counterpart for resisting Russia at the start of the invasion instead of cutting a deal.
"Zelensky... shouldn’t have allowed this to happen either. He’s no angel," Trump said.
"I could have made that deal so easily, and Zelensky decided that 'I want to fight,'" he commented, adding that Ukraine has been fighting against a "much bigger entity."
At the same time, Trump acknowledged Ukraine’s bravery in resisting Russia and said that the Ukrainian president has "had enough" and is ready for peace.
"We started pouring equipment... and they (Ukraine) had the bravery to use the equipment, but in the end, it’s a war that has to be settled," Trump said.
Already during his electoral campaign, Trump implied that his predecessor, former U.S. President Joe Biden, and Zelensky share blame for Russia’s ongoing invasion and pledged to broker a swift peace deal.
Trump has been often critical of the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine and boasted about good relations with Putin, sparking concerns he might broker a deal unfavorable to Kyiv. Recently, the U.S. president has adopted a more critical stance toward Moscow, criticizing Putin for reluctance to cut a deal and threatening with economic repercussions if he fails to do so.
"Putin shouldn’t have done it (launching the full-scale invasion)... and it has to stop," Trump said, claiming that Russia had lost around 850,000 soldiers while Ukraine lost 700,000.
Zelensky put Ukraine’s casualty rates at 43,000 killed and 370,000 wounded as of December, while Moscow does not reveal its losses.
In the interview, Trump reiterated his warnings that if Russia does not agree to negotiate, the U.S. is going to impose "massive tariffs and massive taxes, and... big sanctions," adding he "doesn’t want to do it" because he "loves" Russia.
The U.S. president echoed his earlier claims that the full-scale invasion would have never started if he were in office at the time, blaming the Biden administration for supposedly provoking Putin and allowing him to profit from high energy prices.
Trump also lashed out against the former president for not pressuring European countries to donate more support to Ukraine, falsely claiming that Washington spent "$200 billion more than Europe" in support of Kyiv.
The U.S. Congress has allocated over $170 billion to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, which included the provision of over $60 billion worth of military support. The EU and its member countries have made available $145 billion in financial, military, and humanitarian assistance during the full-scale war.
Ukraine recently announced that arrangements for a meeting between Trump and Zelensky are underway, while the U.S. president also said he aims to meet Putin in the coming days to discuss an end to the war.
Moscow welcomed Trump’s proposal for a meeting but voiced skepticism about a possible peace deal, saying it has to first understand what the U.S.’s goals are before entering into any negotiations.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
