President Donald Trump is under fire again after saying Ukraine shares the blame for the ongoing war with Russia — and even suggesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started the conflict.
Speaking at the White House on April 14 during a meeting with El Salvador’s president, Trump said, “Everybody’s to blame,” when asked about Russia’s deadly missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy.
The attack killed at least 35 people and injured over 100, according to Ukrainian officials.
Trump went on to criticize both Zelenskyy and former President Joe Biden, calling them “not competent” and accusing them of failing to prevent the war. He said Zelenskyy should have known he couldn’t win against Russia and should not have provoked the conflict.
“When you start a war, you’ve got to know that you can win the war, right?” Trump said. “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
The war began in 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, breaking a ceasefire agreement. But Trump suggested Zelenskyy could have done more to stop it from happening in the first place.
This isn’t the first time Trump has made controversial comments about the war. Back in February, during a tense Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said Ukraine had been at war for three years and “should have ended it” by now.
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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded in a social media post, saying that his country never wanted the war and that Russia is the clear aggressor. “Peace is needed — and it must be lasting,” he said.
While a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached in March with help from the U.S., it hasn’t been put into effect, and fighting continues.
The comments have sparked criticism from foreign policy experts, who say Trump’s stance downplays Russia’s role in starting the war and risks weakening U.S. support for Ukraine.
