Trump takes aim at Zelensky, suggests Ukraine ‘should never have started’ war with Russia

Donald Trump responds to Volodymyr Zelensky’s misgivings as the US and Russia forge ahead on peace talks, without Ukraine

Reading Time:3 minutes

US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:59pm, 19 Feb 2025Updated: 3:53pm, 19 Feb 2025

US President Donald Trump sniped at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday and effectively blamed him for Moscow’s invasion – even as he said he was more confident of a deal to end the war after US-Russia talks.

Trump increased pressure on Zelensky to hold elections – echoing one of Moscow’s key demands – and chided the Ukrainian leader for complaining about being frozen out of talks in Saudi Arabia led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The US president also suggested that he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of the month as Washington overhauled its stance towards Russia in a shift that has alarmed European leaders.

“I’m very disappointed, I hear that they’re upset about not having a seat,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when asked about the Ukrainian reaction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

“Today I heard: ‘oh, well, we weren’t invited’. Well, you’ve been there for three years … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” he said.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x