President Donald Trump suggested in a Fox News interview that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should not have opposed Russia’s invasion, citing the significant power imbalance between the two countries. “Zelensky was fighting a much larger unit, much larger, much more powerful,” Trump said, emphasizing that Russia’s superior military had made resistance futile. “He shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal.”
Trump’s stance on the conflict is based on his belief that Zelensky should have negotiated a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid war. “I could have made that deal so easily, and Zelensky decided ‘I want to fight,'” Trump claimed, implying that the decision to oppose Zelensky was a wrong one. This perspective is in sharp contrast to former President Joe Biden, who consistently supported Ukraine’s right to defend itself and imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion.
The Ukraine–Russia conflict has resulted in catastrophic damage, with casualties estimated to number in the thousands. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Trump has expressed doubt about Zelensky’s leadership, suggesting that he should have prevented the war from happening. However, he also said that the US would impose “massive tariffs” and “major sanctions” on Russia if Russia did not “take steps to settle this war quickly”. Biden, meanwhile, has praised Zelensky’s leadership and has provided significant aid to Ukraine.
In September, Trump met with Zelensky and said he would seek a deal that was “good for both sides”. Before meeting them, he had told reporters, “We will try to resolve this issue with both sides and work on it.”
Trump’s comments on the conflict have also raised questions about his approach to foreign policy. While he has claimed he would end the war within a day, his comments on Ukraine’s decision to resist Russia’s invasion have raised concerns about his understanding of the conflict and its complexities. Furthermore, there is no end to the war in sight.
