"I'm disappointed in Zelensky." Trump blames Ukraine for starting the war
2025-02-19 10:10:11
TiranaPost
Trump has completely overturned the policy and stance of his predecessor Biden and all of NATO on the pro-Ukrainian positioning.
Trump's statement comes just hours after Zelensky expressed disappointment that Ukraine itself had not been invited to Trump's peace talks.
Trump expressed disappointment with Ukraine's response and blamed the latter for starting the war, saying it "could have made a deal" earlier.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh for the first high-level, face-to-face talks between the two countries since the invasion.
They agreed to appoint teams to begin negotiations to end the war. Lavrov said Russia would not accept peacekeeping forces from NATO countries in Ukraine under any peace deal, a proposal raised at a meeting of NATO's European members in Paris on Monday.
At a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump was asked by the BBC what his message was to Ukrainians who might feel betrayed.
"This could have been resolved very easily. It should never have started. They could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine. That would have given them almost all the land, everything, almost all the land - and no people would have been killed and no cities would have been destroyed. Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the savage barbarism. I think I have the power to end this war," he said.
