The Ukrainian leader earlier rebuked the US for its “silence,” which he claimed “encourages” Russia to carry out new strikes
Public remarks by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky are only making things worse for his country, US President Donald Trump has said. His comments came after the Ukrainian leader accused the US of a lack of support, which he claimed benefits Russia.
Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to criticize Zelensky for making diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict more difficult. The Ukrainian leader, he said, “is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
The US president added that the conflict “would never have started” if he had been in office. “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,” he said.
Trump’s comments came after Zelensky criticized his Western backers, including the US, for what he described as a lackluster reaction to Russia’s latest large-scale air strike. “America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin,” Zelensky said, calling for increased pressure and sanctions on Moscow.
The exchange occurred amid an escalation in fighting between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow accusing Kiev of launching hundreds of drones between Tuesday and Friday alone. According to Russian air defense commander Yury Dashkin, one strike took place during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kursk Region, where his helicopter “was at the epicenter” of a Ukrainian drone assault.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has vowed an appropriate response, stating that the Ukrainian strikes are intended to “disrupt direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations” aimed at a lasting settlement.
The Russian Defense Ministry later announced a successful strike on a drone and missile production plant in Kiev as well as a radar surveillance center and a US-made Patriot air defense system. Moscow has repeatedly said its strikes are never aimed at civilians.
Trump, however, voiced disapproval of Russian actions, claiming that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” and alleging that he had targeted Ukraine “for no reason whatsoever.” The US president has on several occasions threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if he does not see peace efforts making progress.
However, following a call between Trump and Putin last week, Axios reported that the US leader is still refraining from imposing new restrictions on Moscow. Instead, he reportedly told European leaders that he believes “Putin wants a deal” and that diplomacy remains possible.
