Washington, May 26 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Monday slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the ongoing war between the two countries would never have erupted had he been in office at the time.
Trump’s remarks come in the wake of Russia’s latest massive air assault on Ukraine over the weekend, which resulted in several civilian casualties, including children.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump lashed out at Putin, labelling him “crazy” despite claiming they once shared a good relationship.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” Trump wrote.
He further added, “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Trump didn’t spare Ukrainian President Zelensky either, responding to the latter’s recent statement accusing “America’s silence” of emboldening Putin.
Trump criticised Zelensky’s rhetoric, saying, “Likewise, President Zelensky is doing his country no favours by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a war that would never have started if I were President.”
The US President had remained silent on Russia’s airstrike until Sunday evening, when he finally addressed the matter while speaking to reporters.
“He’s killing a lot of people. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He’s killing a lot of people. I’m not happy about that,” Trump said, referring to Putin.
Trump attempted to distance himself from the conflict, reiterating that the responsibility lies with Zelensky, Putin, and his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
“This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s war, not ‘Trump’s.’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires that have been started through gross incompetence and hatred,” Trump asserted.
The deadly strikes by Russia came just after the two warring nations carried out their largest prisoner exchange since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, with around 1,000 prisoners on each side being released.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that among those killed in the latest attacks were two children, aged eight and 12, along with a 17-year-old, in the northwestern Zhytomyr region.
Trump also suggested he is considering imposing tougher sanctions on Russia in light of the recent escalation in violence.
However, his stance appears to diverge from that of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told Congress earlier this week that Trump believes threatening sanctions at this point might discourage Russia from engaging in talks.
–IANS
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