Current:Home > InvestTrump says Ukraine is ‘dead’ and dismisses its defense against Russia’s invasion -SummitInvest
Trump says Ukraine is ‘dead’ and dismisses its defense against Russia’s invasion
View
Date:2025-04-24 10:31:56
Former President Donald Trump described Ukraine in bleak and mournful terms Wednesday, referring to its people as “dead” and the country itself as “demolished,” and further raising questions about how much the former president would be willing if elected again to concede in a negotiation over the country’s future.
Trump argued Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the months before Russia’s February 2022 attack, declaring that even “the worst deal would’ve been better than what we have now.”
Trump, who has long been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine, frequently claims that Russia never would have invaded if he was president and that he would put an end to the war if he returned to the White House. But rarely has he discussed the conflict in such detail.
His remarks, at a North Carolina event billed as an economic speech, come on the heels of a debate this month in which he pointedly refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war. On Tuesday, Trump touted the prowess of Russia and its predecessor Soviet Union, saying that wars are “what they do.”
The Republican former president, notoriously attuned to slights, began his denunciation of Ukraine by alluding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent criticism of Trump and running mate JD Vance.
Zelenskyy, who is visiting the U.S. this week to attend the U.N. General Assembly, told The New Yorker that Vance was “too radical” for proposing that Ukraine surrender territories under Russian control and that Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how.”
Said Trump, “It’s something we have to have a quick discussion about because the president of Ukraine is in our country and he’s making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me.”
Trump painted Ukraine as a country in ruins outside its capital, Kyiv, short on soldiers and losing population to war deaths and neighboring countries. He questioned whether the country has any bargaining chips left to negotiate an end to the war.
“Any deal — the worst deal — would’ve been better than what we have now,” Trump said. “If they made a bad deal it would’ve been much better. They would’ve given up a little bit and everybody would be living and every building would be built and every tower would be aging for another 2,000 years.”
“What deal can we make? It’s demolished,” he added. “The people are dead. The country is in rubble.”
Zelenskyy is pitching the White House on what he calls a victory plan for the war, expected to include an ask to use long-range Western weapons to strike Russian targets.
While Ukraine outperformed many expectations that it would fall quickly to Russia, outnumbered Ukrainian forces face grinding battles against one of the world’s most powerful armies in the country’s east. A deal with Russia would almost certainly be unfavorable for Ukraine, which has lost a fifth of its territory and tens of thousands of lives in the conflict.
Trump laid blame for the conflict on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival in November. He said Biden “egged it all on” by pledging to help Ukraine defend itself rather than pushing it to cede territory to Russia.
“Biden and Kamala allowed this to happen by feeding Zelenskyy money and munitions like no country has ever seen before,” Trump said.
Notably, Trump did not attack Putin’s reasoning for launching the invasion, only suggesting Putin would not have started the war had Trump been in office. He did say of Putin, “He’s no angel.”
veryGood! (93135)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Wisconsin DNR says emerald ash borer find in Burnett County means beetle has spread across state
- Gymnastics' two-per-country Olympics rule created for fairness. Has it worked?
- North Carolina Democrats sue to reverse decision that put RFK Jr. on ballots
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Will Smith resurges rap career with new single 'Work of Art'
- World record in 4x100 free relay could fall at these Olympics
- Arkansas abortion measure’s signatures from volunteers alone would fall short, filing shows
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Man charged with starting massive wildfire in California as blazes burn across the West
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- How many countries are participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics?
- Last week's CrowdStrike outage was bad. The sun has something worse planned.
- Canelo Alvarez will reportedly lose 168-pound IBF title ahead of Berlanga fight
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Taylor Swift makes unexpected endorsement on her Instagram story
- Homeless people say they will likely return to sites if California clears them under Newsom’s order
- Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Responds to His Comments About Her Transgender Identity
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Arkansas standoff ends with suspect dead after exchange of gunfire with law enforcement
Marvel returns to Comic-Con with hotly anticipated panel about its post-'Deadpool & Wolverine’ plans
Man gets 66 years in prison for stabbing two Indianapolis police officers who responded to 911 call
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Freaky Friday 2: Sneak Peek Photos of Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis Will Take You Away
In the Developing Field of Climate Psychology, ‘Eco-Anxiety’ Is a Rational Response
Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams part of Olympic torch lighting in epic athlete Paris handoff