The White House from Washington
Trump Blames Zelensky for War, Downplays Russia After Deadly Attack
U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked global outrage by blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for instigating the war with Russia, just a day after a deadly Russian missile barrage on the Ukrainian city of Sumy claimed 35 civilian lives and left 117 injured.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump claimed that Zelensky shared equal blame with Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Joe Biden for the ongoing conflict, which has ravaged Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
“You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles,” Trump said, in remarks that have drawn sharp criticism. He added, “Millions of people dead because of three people — let’s say Putin number one, let’s say Biden who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky.”
While the death toll of the war is estimated in the hundreds of thousands, Trump’s claim of “millions” has been widely disputed by analysts and humanitarian agencies. Nonetheless, his comments come at a sensitive time, as Ukraine reels from the deadliest Russian attack on civilians so far this year.
Trump further criticized Zelensky’s leadership, suggesting that the Ukrainian president was constantly “looking to purchase missiles” and questioning the wisdom of resisting a militarily superior adversary. “When you start a war, you got to know you can win,” he remarked.
The latest exchange is the continuation of a deteriorating relationship between Trump and Zelensky, which has been tense since their confrontational White House meeting in February. During that visit, Trump accused Zelensky of risking a global war and scolded him for not initiating peace talks with Russia sooner.
By contrast, Trump has made conspicuous efforts to maintain cordial ties with Moscow. Last month, he described a phone call with Putin as “great,” and revealed that the Russian president had sent him a portrait as a gift. In February, the United States, under Trump’s leadership, voted alongside Russia to oppose a UN resolution identifying Moscow as the aggressor in the conflict.
Despite occasional criticism of Putin — including a vague claim that the Sumy attack may have been a “mistake” — Trump has stopped short of condemning Russia’s broader role in the war. His latest comments have added to growing international concern over Washington’s increasingly ambiguous stance toward the conflict under Trump’s leadership.
