Trump shifts blame for Ukraine war, no longer targets Zelensky
Donald Trump no longer attributes the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky. This marks a significant shift in the stance of the former U.S. President, who not long ago viewed Zelensky and Putin on the same level. During a meeting with journalists at the White House, Trump also admitted that he is not particularly fond of the Ukrainian President.
Just a few weeks ago, Donald Trump believed that Volodymyr Zelensky had contributed to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The former U.S. President accused the Ukrainian leader of instigating the conflict with a country "20 times larger than Ukraine."
— Everybody is to blame. That’s a war that should have never been allowed to start and Biden could have stopped it and Zelenskyy could have stopped it and Putin should have never started it — said Donald Trump when Ukraine expressed interest in purchasing Patriot missiles.
Trump denied this statement several times, but he was reluctant to directly acknowledge that it is not the Ukrainian President who is responsible for the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine, but rather Vladimir Putin.
During a meeting with journalists marking Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit, Trump acknowledged for the first time that it is not Volodymyr Zelensky who is behind the start of the conflict. However, he added that "he's not a fan" of the Ukrainian President.
Russia is huge, much larger than Ukraine. It has a more powerful army; it's a massive military force. If you're smart, you don't get into a war with it. I don't blame him, but I don't see him doing well. I'm not a big fan of his, Trump told the gathered journalists.
At the same time, the former American President emphasized that he is not pleased about the outbreak of the conflict and wishes to bring it to an end.
