Speaking in the Oval Office, the US President told Fox News Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky was “no angel” and added he “shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen”
Downing Street stayed silent after Donald Trump suggested Ukraine shouldn’t have put up a fight against Putin.
Speaking in the Oval Office, the US President told Fox News Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky was “no angel” and added he “shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen.”
“Zelensky? He wants to settle,” Trump told Fox host Sean Hannity in his first sit-down interview since his inauguration.
“He’s had enough.”
He went on to suggest Ukraine shouldn’t have fought back when Russia invaded.
He said: “He shouldn’t have allowed this to happen, either.
“He’s no angel, he shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen.
“First of all, he’s fighting a much bigger entity. Much bigger. He was talking so brave….he was brave, but we gave them billions of dollars.”
He added: “He shouldn’t have done that. We could have made a deal. It would have been a deal that would have been a nothing deal, I could have made that deal so easily.”
He went on: “Zelensky decided that ‘I wanna fight’.”
Asked about the remarks at a briefing for journalists, Keir Starmer’s official spokesman declined to comment.
“I haven’t got any comment on those specific comments,” he said.
“In terms of the UK’s position on Ukraine, it remains the same. Our support for Ukraine is steadfast and we’re fully committed to supporting them in this illegal war. Our record on support for Ukraine is a matter of public record.”
Asked if the PM was going to stand up for Ukraine, he said: “We routinely stood up for Ukraine and our track record is there for all to see.
“The PM was in Kyiv last week. He saw first hand the unrelenting aggression from Russia the Ukrainians face every day.
“The PM has also said the US has played a vital role, alongside other allies, in supporting Ukraine. We all need to ensure that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.”
The spokesman also pointed to Trump’s comments that Putin should stop the war in Ukraine, which has been the UK’s consistent position.
President Trump and Mr Starmer have not yet spoken on the phone since the inauguration, according to the White House.
Trump has spoken to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the President of El Salvador.
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