President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “no angel” in a Fox News interview. The development comes as Trump backed away from his campaign promise of ending the Ukraine war within 24 hours. His revised timeline now suggests a resolution could take up to six months.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 without provocation, marking the largest military attack in Europe since World War II. Despite initial expectations of a quick Russian victory, Ukraine’s military has maintained fierce resistance with Western support.
“Zelenskyy shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen,” Trump said, claiming he could have prevented the conflict through “a nothing deal.”
Trump emphasized the initial military disparity, stating Russia had 30,000 tanks while Ukraine had “none.” Though acknowledging Ukraine’s “bravery” in using US weapons, he faulted Zelenskyy for choosing to fight “a much bigger, much more powerful” Russia.
Earlier this month, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, proposed a 100-day roadmap for an “equitable and fair” agreement to “save Ukraine and their sovereignty.”
In a message to Moscow, Trump urged Putin to “settle now,” warning of “taxes, tariffs and sanctions” if the nearly three-year conflict continues.
Read more:
- Kellogg wants to broker Russia-Ukraine peace deal within 100 days of Trump inauguration
- Reality dawns: Trump’s 24h Ukraine vows meet Moscow
- Trump has no substitute for victory in Ukraine: why concession to Putin risks global instability
- Trump’s “Art of the Deal” era is back
- How Trump can win Ukraine to save America’s future
- Why Russia’s collapse is inevitable — and what comes next
- I am confident Russia will lose this year. Here’s why
- NATO must abandon “Russia-Ukraine War” delusion
