By Charles Switzer
2:02am PDT, Apr 16, 2025
Trump Criticizes Both Zelensky and Putin for Ukraine War
President
Donald Trump took aim at both Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President
Vladimir Putin on Monday, April 14, placing blame on both leaders for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,
POLITICO reported.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump claimed that the war never would've occurred under his leadership.
"That's a war that should have never been allowed to start and Biden could have stopped it and Zelenskyy could have stopped it and Putin should have never started it. Everybody is to blame," he said.
Here's a rundown of everything Trump said about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Trump Questions Biden and Zelensky's Competence
Donald Trump didn't shy away from criticizing Volodymyr Zelensky's handling of the situation, suggesting that if both President
Joe Biden and Zelensky had been competent, the war could have been avoided.
"If Biden were competent and if Zelensky were competent, and I don't know that he is, we had a rough session with this guy — he just kept asking for more and more," Trump said, reiterating his dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian president's approach to the war.
Trump's Social Media Tirade Against Biden and Zelensky
Earlier on Monday, President Donald Trump continued his criticism on social media, accusing both Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky of mishandling the situation. In the process, he echoed old allegations that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
"The War between Russia and Ukraine is Biden's war, not mine. I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening," he wrote on Truth Social. "President Putin, and everyone else, respected your President! I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR, BUT AM WORKING DILIGENTLY TO GET THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO STOP. If the 2020 Presidential Election was not RIGGED, and it was, in so many ways, that horrible War would never have happened. President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin. There were so many ways of preventing it from ever starting. But that is the past. Now we have to get it to STOP, AND FAST. SO SAD!"
Trump's remarks came shortly after he referred to Russia's missile strike on Ukraine's Sumy region, which killed at least 35 people and injured 100 others, as a "mistake."
"I think it was terrible. And I was told [Russia] made a mistake," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing."
Trump Administration's Condemnation of Russia's Actions
Other members of the Donald Trump administration also condemned Russia's role in the conflict, particularly in relation to the missile strike in Sumy.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, expressed his strong disapproval on social media, stating that the missile strike "crosses any line of decency."
Kellogg, a former military leader, emphasized that the missile strike was wrong and reiterated Trump's commitment to ending the war: "It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war," he said.
Zelensky and Vance Clash Over War and Peace Efforts
Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Vice President J.D. Vance's comments regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, accusing him of "somehow justifying" the invasion during an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes.
He invited Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to see firsthand the destruction caused by the war, saying, "You think you understand what's going on here. OK, we respect your position… But, please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead."
Vance quickly fired back at Zelensky's accusations, further signaling the strained relations between the White House and Kyiv. Vance's press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, stated that Zelensky's comments were "counterproductive to the goal of achieving peace for his country."
"The Vice President has repeatedly said that this war was not justified to begin with and is the product of Joe Biden's weakness and incompetence. Instead of mischaracterizing Vice President Vance's rhetoric, President Zelensky should be focused on bringing this conflict to a peaceful conclusion," Van Kirk said.
Trump's Criticism of CBS and His Campaign Pledge
Donald Trump also criticized the CBS interview with Volodymyr Zelensky, without naming him directly, calling the network a "dishonest political operative" and suggesting it should lose its broadcast license.
Trump has also filed a $20 billion lawsuit against the CBS news program over an interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President
Kamala Harris. Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly stated that if he were president, he would end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours."
