Trump is someone who is absolutely, manifestly not supportive of Ukraine and is instead manifestly supportive of Russia. At every opportunity we get at the moment—whether it's the Riyadh peace talks, J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, or anything anyone seems to say, not least Trump himself—we are hearing a regurgitation of Putin's talking points.
There is no excuse anymore for believing that Donald Trump is in any way supportive of Ukraine. That illusion is over. It’s done. Just listen to his words. His statements tonight were absolutely egregious.
On the same day that new intelligence emerged—American intelligence confirming that Putin still aims to occupy all of Ukraine, that he’s not interested in a peace deal but only faking negotiations
During a Donald Trump press conference, he berated Ukraine and essentially sided with Putin. At the same time, as he made these remarks, Russia was launching more ballistic missiles into Odesa than at any other time since the war began. Apartment buildings, shopping centers—pure genocide, according to Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Trump was demanding money, berating Ukraine, and praising Putin—all while Russia launched one of the largest ballistic missile attacks of the war on the people of Odesa. Just hold that in your mind as we consider what’s happening in the White House.
It all starts with lies—outright lies. And we must ask: is this a lie, or is it something worse? This is a real dilemma for Trump’s supporters. What you’re about to hear is either a massive lie, a case of rank stupidity where numbers are being pulled out of thin air, or it’s Trump being egregiously misinformed by his own staff.
There is no good option here. All of them indicate sheer irresponsibility.
Tonight, Trump claimed that Russia wants to force Ukraine to hold new elections before agreeing to any kind of peace deal. A journalist asked if the U.S. would ever support such a demand, to which Trump responded:
"We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine. There’s martial law—essentially martial law in Ukraine. The leader in Ukraine—I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating."
Ukraine is under martial law because it has been invaded. Elections haven’t been held because, constitutionally, it is not appropriate to hold them under these conditions. The UK itself didn’t have elections for nine years during World War II and they weren't invaded.
Holding elections in a war zone is problematic for a whole host of reasons.
Trump is regurgitating a Russian talking point, plain and simple. This is exactly what Putin wants to hear because the Kremlin has pushed these claims before.
Then he says Zelenskyy has a 4% approval rating. This is demonstrably false. The only reliable polls show Zelenskyy with a 52% approval rating—down from 77% at the end of 2023, but nowhere near 4%. This is just not true.
Is he lying? Is he pulling numbers out of thin air? Is he just getting it wrong and misremembering? If so, why isn’t someone correcting him immediately? Or is he being deliberately misinformed by his team?
This is massively, massively irresponsible. When we wonder why the impact of Trump's rhetoric on American public opinion and support for Ukraine has been significant, we see how the American public's support for Ukraine has been degrading. When the president himself gives them a permission structure not to approve of Zelenskyy, it influences their perspective. If you heard that rhetoric and believed it, you might think, "Well, the Ukrainians don't like him, so why should I, as an American, like him? Why are we supporting someone that even the Ukrainians don’t like?" That is incredibly irresponsible and dangerous.
Regarding Ukraine’s representation at peace talks, Trump suggests that because Ukraine hasn’t had an election in a while, it shouldn't have a seat at the table to discuss its own future. But Ukraine hasn’t had an election because it’s at war, under martial law, and its constitution dictates that elections should not be held in such circumstances. Suggesting that this disqualifies them from negotiations is absurd.
When Trump says, "This isn't a Russia thing; it's coming from us," that’s simply not true. He is regurgitating Russian propaganda. Trump falsely claims that Zelenskyy has a 4% approval rating and implies that Ukraine should be forced into elections. This aligns perfectly with Russian interests. When asked about Ukrainians who feel betrayed, Trump’s response is dismissive: "I hear you’re upset about not having a seat, but they’ve had a seat for three years." That’s a staggering response to people who have been fighting for their survival. He claims the war would have never happened if he were president, but this ignores the reality of Putin’s aggression.
Who exactly is Trump disappointed in? Because it sounds like he’s disappointed in Zelenskyy. But the one who deserves blame here is Putin, for invading a sovereign democratic country and murdering civilians. Instead, Trump is implying that Zelenskyy shouldn’t get a seat at the table because he’s somehow at fault for the war. Trump’s statement that Ukraine "had a seat at the table" for three years is nonsensical. What table? They’ve been fighting an invasion for three years.
Then Trump claims, "A half-baked negotiator could have settled this easily." But how exactly does one "settle" a war in which a military superpower has invaded a non-military superpower? The only way to "settle" it quickly is to surrender to Russia. That’s the reality of what Trump is suggesting.
And yet, he still refuses to blame Putin. Why? Why is there not a single negative word about Vladimir Putin here?
Then comes the most shocking statement: "You should have never started it." Trump is now blaming Zelenskyy for starting the war. He’s talking about Ukraine not having a seat at the table and then saying, "You should have never started it," clearly referring to Zelenskyy.
So let’s be absolutely clear—Donald Trump, former president of the United States, is blaming Volodymyr Zelenskyy for starting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
From another part of the press conference. He says Zelenskyy has 'allowed' the war to continue. But who actually made it continue? Putin. Never a single word against Putin.
Trump blames Zelenskyy and Biden, spreading Putin’s talking points:
Putin started the war by invading Ukraine, and Trump is literally spreading Putin's talking points from the podium.
Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia says: "Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine. As an American, this is so embarrassing"
"The admiration by so many Republicans for Putin—a brutal dictator with no respect for human life, individual liberties, or private property—who hates America—is one of the most shocking developments of my life.
I never saw that coming. Congress is compromised. The Trump administration is compromised."
"I’m sure Putin can’t believe his good fortune these days. Trump’s relentless caving to Putin will only encourage the Russian dictator to demand more."
Tommy Vietor from Pod Save America: "Every time Trump talks about the war in Ukraine, he blames Ukraine—not the Russians who launched the attack.
He only speaks passionately about the loss of golden domes—architecture—not the people.
It’s hard to imagine a better outcome for Putin than this. Putin is popping champagne. He is laughing. And we know this is the case because Russian propagandists are openly telling us—they are laughing on national TV about what’s happening in the White House and in Riyadh."
Michael Weiss, a journalist covering Ukraine, adds: "I think we can stop calling this a negotiation. This is a wholesale adoption of the Russian position. Trump even blames Ukraine for starting the war."
We are watching the United States slide into autocracy. Another executive order has just been signed by Trump, that only the president or the attorney general can state what the law is on behalf of the United States.
That was the primary purpose of this press conference—to announce that Trump has signed an order declaring that only the president and the attorney general can define the law.