Former President Donald Trump commented Monday on the conflict in Ukraine, stating, "You don't start a war with someone 20 times your size and then hope people give you some missiles."
His remarks followed an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on “60 Minutes,” in which Zelensky criticized the Trump administration’s characterization of the war’s origins.
Trump said he holds multiple figures responsible for the conflict, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden, and Zelensky himself. “When you start a war, you’ve got to know you can win it,” Trump said. “You have millions of people dead. Millions of people dead because of three people. Let’s say Putin is number one, but then Biden—who had no idea what he was doing—and Zelensky. All I can do now is try to stop it.”
Trump added that the U.S. was “making progress” on ceasefire efforts, though no formal agreements have been reached in recent weeks. When asked about additional sanctions on Russia, he responded, “I already have sanctions on Russia.”
In the earlier “60 Minutes” interview, Zelensky pushed back on suggestions that Ukraine initiated the conflict. “I don’t want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me,” he said. Referring to a past Oval Office meeting with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, Zelensky emphasized that “we did not launch an attack.”
He also expressed concern that Vice President Vance appeared to justify Russian actions. “You can’t look for something in the middle,” Zelensky said. “There is an aggressor and there is a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim.”
Trump’s comments on Monday, as well as a previous post on Truth Social in which he criticized both Zelensky and Biden, appeared to be a direct response to Zelensky’s televised remarks.
