LOADINGERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump met with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday and shortly afterward stated that Russia should be allowed to keep the Ukrainian land it has seized since dictator Vladimir Putin invaded nearly four years ago.
They should stop where they are,” he wrote in a social media post about 45 minutes after the Ukrainian president had left the White House.
Only in recent months has he begun blaming Putin, too, for his continued drone and missile attacks against civilians, particularly following conversations with Trump.
Advertisement The frequency of Russian attacks against Ukraine ramped up dramatically after Trump returned to office, according to a BBC analysis.
Putin, nevertheless, went right back to his assaults on Ukrainian cities afterward, even though Trump had warned repeatedly that he expected Putin to agree to a ceasefire at the meeting.
WASHINGTON — Following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, President Donald Trump declared that Russia should be permitted to retain the Ukrainian territory it has taken since invader Vladimir Putin nearly four years ago.
There has been enough bloodshed, and War and Guts have drawn boundaries between property, so it’s time to put an end to the murder and strike a DEAL. About 45 minutes after the Ukrainian president left the White House, he wrote on social media, “They should stop where they are.”. “Let both declare victory and let history make the final decision. There should be no more shootings, no more fatalities, and no more extravagant spending that cannot be sustained. As president, I would have prevented the start of this war. Thousands of people are killed every week; stop it now and return home to your families in peace.
He said the same thing when he landed in Florida, where he will spend the weekend at his Palm Beach country club.
He advised reporters to “follow the battle line wherever it is, or else it becomes too complicated.”. “At the front line, stop now. “”.
It is difficult to tell if this is a sign of yet another change in Trump’s policies or, as is frequently the case with him, just a passing thought that will vanish as soon as it appears.
He once more voiced his surprise that the Ukrainian leader, whose people are being killed every night by Russian drones and missiles, does not get along with Putin, the man who orders those attacks, during a de facto news conference held at the beginning of his meeting with Zelenskyy earlier Friday afternoon.
According to Trump, “there is a lot of bad blood with the two presidents.”. “These two leaders don’t get along. “.”.
Nearly everyone has denounced Putin’s attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, and the International Criminal Court has accused him of war crimes.
Trump said they had made “great progress” in ending the nearly four-year-old war that began when Putin invaded his neighbor in February 2022 during their two-hour phone conversation the day before Friday’s meeting. It was discussed whether U could be transferred. A. With the help of Tomahawk missiles, Ukraine could strike targets up to 1,500 miles inside Russia.
Trump appeared to waver on the idea Friday, after in recent weeks referring to Russia as a “paper tiger” due to Putin’s slowness in capturing and annexing all of Ukraine. The issue is what will happen if the US is involved in a war and we require the Tomahawks. “We need Tomahawks,” he declared.
Trump also touted the possibility of resuming his meeting with Putin in Budapest in the upcoming weeks, despite the fact that the city is in Hungary and is currently governed by Viktor Orbán, who may be the only pro-Putin leader in the NATO alliance besides Trump. Additionally, in 1994, Russia pledged not to invade Ukraine if Ukraine surrendered the nuclear weapons it inherited from the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In response to Trump, Zelenskyy employed the same tactic that other U.S. S. . allies: giving him a lot of praise.
In a follow-up to a similar statement he posted online on Thursday, Zelenskyy said, “Once again, congratulations with your successful ceasefire in the Middle East.”. “Thank you. I greatly appreciate it. “.”.
During his February visit to the White House, which was his first since Trump’s return to the White House, Zelenskyy wore a blazer and tie once more, avoiding the criticism he received from Vice President JD Vance and pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn for wearing military fatigues instead of a suit. The meeting, which was met with horror in European capitals, ended with Trump and Vance accusing Zelenskyy of not being sufficiently appreciative.
Trump hailed Putin as a “genius” and “shrewd” for sending troops to murder Ukrainians and annex their territory in the days after his invasion in 2022. He blamed Zelenskyy for his country’s invasion and former President Joe Biden for allowing it to occur in the months that followed, including after he returned to office nine months ago.
He only started accusing Putin of being responsible for his ongoing drone and missile attacks against civilians in recent months, especially after speaking with Trump.
According to a BBC analysis, Russian attacks against Ukraine increased significantly in frequency after Trump took office.
Trump continues to boast of his “good relationship” with Putin in spite of the fact that he is willing to kill civilians. That was the rationale behind his invitation to meet with Putin in Alaska in August and his literal “red carpet” reception upon his arrival.
No King. Avoid bias. The truth, please.
Your assistance drives our mission.
Our mission is powered by your support.
Support News That Prioritizes People.
HuffPost serves its readers well. Members have the ability to influence how independent journalism develops in the future. Come show that the people are in charge here by joining today.
We’re still dedicated to giving you the frank, fact-based journalism that everyone is entitled to.
Once more, I want to thank you for your support. We are incredibly appreciative of readers like you! Your early contributions enabled us to get to this point and strengthened our newsroom, which helped us weather the storm. We are more in need of your assistance than ever as we move forward. We look forward to seeing you again.
Our dedication to giving you the unbiased, fact-based journalism that everyone deserves has not changed.
Once more, I want to thank you for your support. We sincerely appreciate readers like you! Your early contributions enabled us to get to this point and strengthened our newsroom, which helped us weather the storm. We need your assistance now more than ever as we move forward. We hope to see you again soon.
Back HuffPost.
Have you already contributed? To hide these messages, log in.
Despite Trump’s repeated warning that he expected Putin to agree to a ceasefire at the meeting, Putin immediately resumed his attacks on Ukrainian cities.
