25-1-2025 (WASHINGTON) US President Donald Trump has sparked controversy by suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bears responsibility for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, claiming the war could have been prevented through pre-emptive concessions to Moscow.
In a televised interview with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity broadcast on Thursday, Trump made remarkable assertions about the origins of the conflict, which has now entered its third year following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The president, speaking during the second part of the pre-recorded interview, argued that Zelensky “shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen” despite Russia being the aggressor. Trump characterised the Ukrainian leader as “no angel” and suggested he had been overly defiant in the face of Russian military superiority.
“Zelensky was fighting a much bigger entity, much more powerful. He shouldn’t have done that,” Trump declared, adding that he could have personally brokered a settlement with ease. These comments notably disregard Russia’s violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where Moscow pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for Kyiv surrendering its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal.
Trump’s remarks come against the backdrop of intensifying military activity, with Russia claiming to have intercepted 121 Ukrainian drones across 13 regions, including Moscow. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have reportedly struck strategic targets in Russia’s Ryazan and Bryansk regions, targeting oil facilities and a microelectronics plant.
The president’s stance appears to contradict established historical facts about the conflict’s origins. Russia has occupied parts of Ukrainian territory since 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. The current phase of the war began in February 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he termed a “special military operation”, despite international condemnation and subsequent rulings by both the UN General Assembly and International Court of Justice demanding Russian withdrawal.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump recently vowed to end the conflict swiftly if returned to office, threatening Russia with “high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions” whilst simultaneously expressing “love” for the Russian people and highlighting his “very good relationship” with Putin.
The US has provided over $65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022, but Trump maintains he could resolve the conflict within 24 hours through negotiations, though specific details of such a plan remain unclear.
