President Donald Trump appeared on Hannity on the finish this week and provided a blunt, essential evaluation of Zelensky’s decision-making within the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He strongly prompt that Ukrainian President Zelensky’s insurance policies have solely extended the conflict. This consists of the unstated reality that prior Biden administration insurance policies have solely served to proceed the killing, as billions in arms have been pumped to Ukraine’s army, regardless of there lengthy being acknowledgement that the Russian army machine was superior, and Russian forces have continued making vital beneficial properties.
“Look, Zelensky was preventing a a lot greater entity, a lot greater, way more highly effective. He shouldn’t have executed that as a result of we may have made a deal and it might have been a deal that will have been — it might have been a nothing deal,” Trump informed Sean Hannity on Thursday. Trump additionally at one level stated Zelensky is “no angel”.
“We began pouring gear… they usually (Ukraine) had the bravery to make use of the gear, however ultimately, it’s a conflict that must be settled,” Trump added.
However he additionally admitted: “Putin shouldn’t have executed it (launching the full-scale invasion)… and it has to cease.”
Crucially throughout the course of the interview Trump indicated that he would have taken that deal. “I may have made that deal so simply. And Zelensky determined that I need to battle,” he stated.
Trump additional identified that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden did a “horrible job” by permitting the conflict to start out within the first place. Trump has lengthy maintained that had he been in workplace after 2020 the Russia-Ukraine conflict would have by no means began, as Putin wouldn’t have invaded.
Russian President Putin himself dropped a bomb on Friday, with the next (as CNN places it):
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that “the disaster in Ukraine” might need been prevented if Donald Trump was in energy on the time, saying he was prepared to speak with the brand new US president concerning the battle.
Trump has lengthy claimed that the conflict in Ukraine wouldn’t have occurred beneath his watch, however Friday marked the primary time Putin prompt the identical factor – whereas additionally repeating Trump’s false declare that the 2020 US election was “stolen.”
Here is what Putin stated within the televised feedback: “I can’t assist however agree with (Trump) that if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then perhaps there wouldn’t have been the disaster in Ukraine that arose in 2022.”
Trump this previous week stated, “Zelensky — I’ll say this, he needs to settle now. He’s had sufficient. He shouldn’t have allowed this to occur, both.”
🚨Trump simply bodied Zelensky😭
“He is no angel. He should not have allowed this conflict to occur… When he was speaking so courageous… we gave them billions of {dollars}.” pic.twitter.com/tGCdymPVhF
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 24, 2025
The US President additionally informed Hannity that “It’s gotta finish. These are human beings which can be being slaughtered” on the battlefield. Trump quickly after the inauguration stated he plans to fulfill with Putin “quickly”.
The US, Russian, and Ukrainian sides are jockeying for diplomatic positions based mostly on constructing leverage, based mostly on diplomatic rhetoric or on the battlefield. However the huge determinant actuality stays the battlefield, within the Donbass, the place Russian forces are clearly on prime and advancing by the day.
