US President Donald Trump placed blame on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war with Russia, suggesting that Ukraine provoked a conflict it could never win and accusing its leader of recklessly seeking international military aid.
The comments came a day after Russia launched a deadly missile strike on the city of Sumy, killing at least 35 civilians and injuring over 100. Despite the scale of the attack, Trump said the strike was a “mistake” and used the moment to resume criticism of Ukraine’s leadership.
Speaking at the White House alongside El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, Trump said, “He’s always looking to purchase missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win a war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
He added, “Millions of people dead because of three people. Let’s say Putin number one, Biden who had no idea what the hell he was doing number two, and Zelensky.”
Though the actual death toll from the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, Trump repeated a claim that “millions” had died.
Zelensky’s office has not responded to Trump’s latest remarks. The Ukrainian leader had publicly urged Trump to visit Ukraine before entering any negotiation with Russia, telling CBS’ 60 Minutes that seeing the suffering on the ground would change his perspective.
“Come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelensky said in the interview, recorded before Sunday’s missile strike in Sumy.
Russia claimed the attack targeted a gathering of Ukrainian soldiers, though it provided no evidence. Ukraine said civilians were among the casualties, calling it the deadliest strike of the year.
Relations between Trump and Zelensky have soured since the US president resumed talks with Russia in February. Trump previously accused Zelensky of being a “dictator without elections” and has echoed Moscow’s talking points in multiple public statements.
Despite his criticism, Trump claimed he wanted to end the war and would present “very good proposals soon,” though he did not elaborate. He also downplayed Sunday’s strike, calling it a “mistake.”
The Trump administration’s alignment with Russia on framing the war has triggered concern among NATO allies and members of Congress. Critics say Trump is undermining Ukraine’s defence while pushing Kyiv to make concessions.
Meanwhile, Trump’s comments sparked outrage online, with Ukrainian officials and US lawmakers accusing the president of enabling Russian aggression and misrepresenting the origins of the conflict.
The war, now in its third year, began after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and escalated into a full invasion in 2022. Ukrainian officials maintain that they are defending their sovereignty and rejecting Russian occupation, not initiating conflict.
