Trump blames Zelensky and Biden for ‘millions’ of deaths in Ukraine war
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A woman lays flowers and a soft toy at a makeshift memorial on the site of a missile attack in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, on April 14.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump resumed his attempts on April 14 to blame Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for failing to prevent the war in Ukraine, falsely accusing him of responsibility for “millions” of deaths.
Mr Trump – who had a blazing public row in the Oval Office
The Republican told reporters that there were “millions of people dead because of three people”.
“Let’s say Putin No. 1, but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, No. 2, and Zelensky,” Mr Trump said during a meeting with the visiting President of El Salvador.
Mr Trump then doubled down on his attack on Mr Zelensky.
“He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” he said dismissively of the Ukrainian leader’s attempts to maintain his country’s defence against the Russian invasion.
“When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war,” Mr Trump said. “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
Relations between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky have been tense ever since the US President stunned the world by opening talks with Russia in February.
In the run-up to their televised row on Feb 28, Mr Trump repeatedly echoed Moscow’s talking points – blaming Ukraine for the war and calling Mr Zelensky a “dictator without elections”.
Mr Zelensky has since tried to patch things up, including sending a delegation to Washington last week to discuss a mineral deal Mr Trump has called for, that would give the US preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources.
But the US leader has stepped up his rhetoric in the last few days.
Mr Trump, however, insisted a deal to end the Ukraine war was possible, despite Ukrainian accusations that Moscow is stalling.
“I want to stop the killing, and I think we’re doing well in that regard. I think you’ll have some very good proposals very soon,” Mr Trump said.
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Feb 28.
PHOTO: AFP
Aerial attacks have escalated despite calls by Mr Trump for a ceasefire to halt three years of fighting.
A Russian strike
The US President said on April 13 that the attack was a “mistake” but did not elaborate.
Russia insisted on April 14 that its missiles hit a meeting of Ukrainian army commanders
A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian city of Kursk on April 15 killed an elderly woman and wounded nine others, local authorities said.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 52 drones and one missile overnight, Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on April 15, adding that 26 of the drones had been shot down while a further 19 fell without reaching their targets.
Mr Zelensky urged Mr Trump in a CBS interview broadcast on April 13 to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion. AFP, REUTERS
