Trump Blames Ukraine for War, Criticizes Zelenskyy’s Leadership

Trump Says Ukraine 'Should Have Never Started War With Russia'

 Trump Blames Ukraine for War, Criticizes Zelenskyy’s Leadership

President Donald Trump took aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, calling him an ineffective negotiator and labeling his leadership as “grossly incompetent” amid growing tensions over direct U.S.-Russia negotiations to end the ongoing war.

Trump’s remarks come as European allies and U.S. intelligence officials express concern that Ukraine, along with its European supporters, has been sidelined from the peace talks that kicked off in Saudi Arabia between American and Russian representatives earlier in the day.

Emphasizing that initial discussions had been “very successful,” Trump pushed back against Zelenskyy’s frustration over Ukraine’s exclusion, as well as his decision to abstain from traveling to Riyadh for further talks with U.S. officials.

“Today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited,’” Trump said, seemingly addressing Zelenskyy directly. “Well, you’ve been at this for three years. You should have ended it—three years. You should have never been there. You should have never started it. You should have made a deal.”

Trump also reinforced his stance on pushing for elections in Ukraine as a condition for resolving the war.

“We have a country where elections haven’t taken place, where martial law exists, where the leader—I hate to say it—is sitting at 4% approval,” Trump said. “And meanwhile, the country has been devastated.”

Although Zelenskyy’s popularity has declined since the early days of the war, a recent poll still showed that 52% of Ukrainians back him.

Speaking at a press briefing Tuesday, Trump directly blamed Kyiv for the war with Russia and defended excluding Ukraine from negotiations.

Discussing his direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump told reporters that Ukraine’s presence at the peace table was unnecessary because it “should’ve ended the war in three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”

February 24 will mark three years since Russia launched its invasion, triggering the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, with massive casualties and equipment losses on both sides.

Trump has been in direct contact with Putin, aiming to broker a swift resolution. On Tuesday, top Russian and U.S. diplomats, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met to discuss a roadmap for ending the conflict. After the meeting, Rubio announced that the parties had agreed to restore diplomatic staffing, form a high-level peace negotiation team, and strengthen economic collaboration. Notably, no Ukrainian representatives were included in these discussions.

Zelenskyy has voiced frustration over being left out of the talks.

“Decisions about Ukraine’s future cannot be made without Ukraine, and no terms can be dictated to us,” Zelenskyy stated during a visit to Turkey on Tuesday. “We were not invited to this Russian-American summit in Saudi Arabia. It was unexpected for us, and I believe for many others as well.”

European and NATO officials have similarly urged Trump not to sideline Ukraine or European allies during diplomatic efforts.

However, Trump dismissed these concerns, asserting his unique ability to resolve the war.

“I believe I have the power to end this war. And I think things are moving in the right direction,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago following the U.S.-Russia meeting.

“But today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should’ve ended it,” he added.

“I could have struck a deal for Ukraine that would have allowed them to retain almost all their land, prevented casualties, and avoided the destruction of cities. Not a single building would have been demolished. But they chose a different path.”

Before attacking Zelenskyy’s leadership, Trump criticized former President Joe Biden’s approach to the conflict, arguing that Biden allowed an unnecessary war to escalate.

“Biden let a war happen that should have never even begun—without any involvement from the United States,” Trump remarked.

While Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to end the war, some of his administration’s policies have raised concerns among lawmakers and world leaders.

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that Ukraine would not regain its pre-2014 borders or be allowed NATO membership—both seen as significant victories for Russia.