US President Donald Trump will speak at Mar Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on February 18, 2025.
Kevin Lamarck | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that Ukraine was in charge of invasion of the Russian country three years ago, and that Kiev could enter into a contract to avoid conflict.
“You’d never have started it,” Trump said of Ukraine. His country criticized President Voldi Zelensky on Tuesday for expressing concern that he was not included in the US-Russia talks.
“I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well. But today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you were there for three years,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. “You’d never have started it. You could have made a deal.”
Trump went on to say: And one dome was not knocked down.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s remarks.
The US and Russia agreed on high-level consultations on Tuesday to reestablish embassies staffing, which diverge from previous US policies on the issue. “Ukraine knew nothing about it,” Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
Trump, who said he and President Vladimir Putin spoke in a phone call last week about ending the war, has made more and more comments that have bolstered the Russian president. He said in an interview with Fox News last month that Ukraine should not fight when it is invaded by Russia.
