Former president Donald Trump blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for allowing the war in Ukraine to start, even though Russia was the aggressor, during an interview with a podcaster that was published Thursday.
Trump called Zelensky “one of the greatest salesmen I’ve ever seen” and marveled at how much aid Ukraine has received from the United States.
“Who else got that kind of money in history?” Trump said in the interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David. “There’s never been. And that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. That war’s a loser.”
Moments later, Trump criticized President Joe Biden, as he has often done, for his handling of the conflict, claiming he “instigated that war.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Biden has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine. This year, Congress approved $61 billion in aid to the country as part of a broader spending package, on top of tens of billions approved earlier in the war.
Trump met with the Ukrainian president in late September at Trump Tower, their first meeting since 2019. Before the meeting began, Trump, standing next to Zelensky, said that it was an “honor” to meet with him and that they had a “very good relationship.” He then added that he also has a “very good relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.