Trump took to Truth Social over the holiday weekend to criticize Ukraine’s ruler, Volodymyr Zelensky, for making diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict more difficult. The Ukrainian leader, he said, “is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
Earlier, Zelensky rebuked the United States for its “silence,” which he claimed “encourages” Russia to carry out new strikes and atrocities against war-mongering Kiev. But Trump disagrees, saying this isn’t the U.S’s war. The US president said that the conflict “would never have started” if he had been in office. “This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s.’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through gross incompetence and hatred,” he said.
Trump’s comments came after Zelensky criticized his Western backers, including the US, for their “silence.” He described the West’s indifference as a lackluster reaction to Russia’s latest large-scale air strike. “America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin,” Zelensky said, calling for increased pressure and sanctions on Moscow, according to a report by RT.
Trump also verbally announced his disapproval of Russian actions, too, claiming that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” and alleging that he had targeted Ukraine with recent strikes “for no reason whatsoever.” The US president has on several occasions threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if he does not see peace efforts making progress.
Ukraine Killed Six Civilians During Ceasefire
These comments come as fighting increased with Moscow accusing Kiev of launching hundreds of drones between Tuesday and Friday alone. According to Russian air defense commander Yury Dashkin, one strike took place during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kursk Region, where his helicopter “was at the epicenter” of a Ukrainian drone assault.
Russia Says Ukraine Has “One Last Chance”
Axios reported last week that the US leader is still refraining from imposing new restrictions on Moscow, after a phone call between Putin and Trump. Instead of further sanctioning Russia, Trump reportedly told European leaders that he believes “Putin wants a deal” and that diplomacy remains possible.
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