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On Sunday, US President Donald Trump made a high-profile statement on his Truth Social social media platform, accusing Russian dictator Vladimir Putin of “insanity” and mass murder, and criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what he called “provocative statements” that only harm his country.
“I have always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin from Russia, but something happened to him. He’s gone completely mad! He’s killing a lot of people for no reason, and I’m not just talking about soldiers,” Trump wrote.
The politician stressed that Russian missiles and drones “shell Ukrainian cities for no reason” and warned that Putin’s attempt to completely seize Ukraine could lead to the collapse of Russia itself.
At the same time, he did not hold back his criticism of the Ukrainian leader:
“President Zelenskyy does his country no favours with the way he speaks. Everything that comes out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump said.
The former president stressed that this war was not his responsibility:
“This is Zelenskyy, Putin and Biden’s war, not Trump’s. I am only helping to extinguish the large and disgusting fires that were ignited by gross incompetence and hatred,” he wrote, traditionally accusing the Biden administration of escalating the conflict.
Trump’s statement came against the backdrop of Russia’s latest massive attacks on Ukraine, which has already provoked a strong reaction from European allies. The US president’s remarks could have serious consequences for both domestic and international US policy.
