Trump identifies three people to blame for Russia-Ukraine war

United States President, Donald Trump, has placed the blame for the Russia-Ukraine war on three individuals: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and former U.S. President Joe Biden.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump directly accused Zelensky of provoking the war, just a day after Russia launched its deadliest attack on civilians this year, targeting the Ukrainian city of Sumy. 

Tribune Online reports that the strike left at least 34 people dead and injured 117, prompting international condemnation.

“You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles,” Trump told reporters, arguing that the conflict, which has caused widespread devastation, was avoidable.

He went on to say, “Millions of people died 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 official estimates do not support Trump’s claim of “millions” of deaths, hundreds of thousands have been killed or injured on all sides since Russia began its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.

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Trump, who referred to Sunday’s Russian strike as a “mistake”, also questioned Zelensky’s leadership, remarking that the Ukrainian president was “always looking to purchase missiles”. He added, “When you start a war, you got to know you can win.”

Trump and Zelensky’s relations remain strained, particularly after their tense exchange during Zelensky’s visit to Washington in February.

In a recent interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, recorded before the Sumy attack, Zelensky urged Trump to visit Ukraine before attempting to negotiate peace with Moscow. 

“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” he said.

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