President Donald J. Trump pushed back hard on Monday when a reporter said Volodymyr Zelensky accuses him of supporting Vladimir Putin by waiving some sanctions on Russian oil. “I’m supporting stopping the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the President said on the South Lawn. “Because that’s what I do for a living. And frankly, Zelensky is not helping matters much. I think he doesn’t want to stop it. But I want to see people not die.”
Trump laid out the human cost in plain numbers. “They’re losing probably on average 25,000 to 35,000 soldiers every single month,” he said. “Last month it was 32,000. I don’t want to see 32,000 soldiers dead.” He added: “Ukraine is losing all of its men. All I want is for Russia and Ukraine to stop that stupid war.”
When told Zelensky claims he is on the wrong side of history, Trump did not mince words. “Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said. “Zelensky is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago. If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago.” He went further: “I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”
The President also reminded everyone who has carried the load. “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us. Remember that,” he said. “We’ve given hundreds of billions of dollars. I gave the Javelins to Ukraine… Obama gave them pillows.” On the sanctions question, he said he is in the middle of negotiating with Putin and will not blow up talks, “and by the way, I have the right to do that at any time, immediately.”
Trump also said he would sit down with Putin and President Xi to talk about nuclear weapons. “We would schedule a meeting based on the denuclearization,” he said. “And that’s a very positive thing for the world. So I would do it.” Peace through strength, with America at the head of the table.
