Former US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, accusing him of persuading the United States to invest billions in a war Trump believes is unwinnable. Trump also pointed out that Europe’s financial contributions to the war are guaranteed, while the US has spent $200 billion more with no returns.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Zelenskyy, who was previously a comedian, as someone who “talked the United States into spending $350 billion on a war that never needed to start and couldn’t be won.” Trump continued, saying that without the US and his own involvement, Zelenskyy would not be able to resolve the conflict.
Trump also criticized the financial imbalance, stating, “The United States has spent $200 billion more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the US gets nothing in return.” He questioned why President Joe Biden had not pushed for an equal financial contribution, given Europe’s proximity to the war. Trump also mentioned Zelenskyy’s admission that some of the US funds sent to Ukraine had gone missing, and called him a “dictator without elections” due to his low approval ratings and refusal to hold elections in Ukraine.
In his post, Trump said, “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
While still supporting Ukraine, Trump reiterated his belief that only his administration could have successfully brokered peace with Russia. He criticized Zelenskyy’s handling of the situation, claiming his leadership had left the country “shattered” and caused unnecessary deaths.
He said, “We are successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia, something that only ‘TRUMP’ and the Trump Administration could have done. Biden never tried, Europe has failed, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.” Trump added that Zelenskyy had done a “terrible job” and that the war had resulted in unnecessary suffering.
Trump also commented on recent talks between US officials and Russian representatives about ending the war. He expressed confidence in the negotiations, saying he was “much more confident” and described the talks as “very good.”
While signing executive orders at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “Russia wants to stop the barbarism that’s happening. Soldiers are being killed by the thousands every week, and not just Russians and Ukrainians but also many Koreans.” He went on to call the war “senseless” and reiterated that it would never have happened under his leadership, saying, “It should have never happened, and it would have never happened if I were President.”