'Everybody's to blame': Trump accuses Zelenskyy of starting Russia's war on Ukraine
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump accused Ukraine of inviting Russia's assault again, arguing that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is responsible for the war that Moscow started three years ago.
The war began in 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of Ukraine. But during an Oval Office meeting on April 14 with El Salvador's president, Trump said: "Everybody's to blame."
Trump criticized former President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy as not "competent" after a journalist asked about Russia's attack the day before on Sumy. The missile strike in the northeastern city killed 35 people and wounded 117 more, according to the Ukrainian government.
Trump told reporters on April 13 that the strike was a "mistake." But when pressed on the matter the next day, the U.S. president said that the mistake he was referring to came from Biden and Zelenskyy, whom he accused of failing to prevent Putin's invasion.
"He's always looking to purchase missiles," Trump said of Zelenskyy. "When you start a war, you've got to know that you can win the war, right? You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles."
Trump also blamed Ukraine for the war in February before an Oval Office dispute with Zelenskyy that led to a breakdown in talks between the two countries. Trump said then that Zelenskyy should have proactively kept Putin, who violated a ceasefire agreement with the invasion, from launching a war on Ukraine.
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"You’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it. Three years. You should have never started it,” Trump said then.
The countries have since resumed negotiations, with Ukraine agreeing to the terms of a U.S.-led temporary ceasefire with Russia in March. Russia has since tried to renegotiate the parameters of the arrangement, which was never implemented.
In a social media post on April 14, Zelenskyy said that Russia, as the aggressor in the war, should be forced into peace talks.
"We all want this to end. Peace is needed – and it must be lasting," he said. "We are not just ready for peace quickly – Ukraine has never wanted this war, not for a single second."
(This story has been updated with more information.)