WASHINGTON — 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.
