Trump Describes Ukraine as "Demolished," Its Population as "Dead"

Ukraine | September 26, 2024, Thursday // 12:01|  views

Former US President Donald Trump offered a grim assessment of Ukraine on Wednesday, characterizing its population as “dead” and the nation itself as “demolished.” His comments raised concerns about how much he might be willing to negotiate over Ukraine’s future if he were to regain the presidency.

Trump argued that Ukraine should have made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the months leading up to Russia's invasion in February 2022, asserting that “even the worst deal would’ve been better than what we have now.” He has been a long-time critic of US assistance to Ukraine, frequently claiming that Russia would not have invaded had he been in office and suggesting he could quickly resolve the conflict if elected again. However, he has seldom addressed the war in such detail before.

His statements, made during an economic speech in North Carolina, followed a recent debate in which he avoided affirming support for Ukraine's victory. Just the day before, he praised the military capabilities of Russia and its historical legacy, claiming that wars are “what they do.”

Trump's denunciation of Ukraine was partly triggered by comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in the US this week for the UN General Assembly. Zelensky criticized Trump and his running mate JD Vance, labeling Vance “too radical” for suggesting that Ukraine should surrender territories controlled by Russia and stating that Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he thinks he does.”

Referring to Zelensky's remarks, Trump stated, “It’s something we have to have a quick discussion about because the president of Ukraine is in our country and he’s making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me.” He described Ukraine as a nation in devastation, short on soldiers and losing citizens to war and emigration, raising doubts about its ability to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Any deal — the worst deal — would’ve been better than what we have now,” Trump commented. He further lamented that “the people are dead” and “the country is in rubble,” questioning what kind of deal could even be reached.

Zelensky is advocating for what he calls a victory plan, which is likely to include requests for long-range Western weapons to target Russian positions. Despite initial expectations that Ukraine would quickly succumb to Russia, its forces are engaged in protracted battles against a formidable army in the eastern part of the country, resulting in a loss of one-fifth of its territory and tens of thousands of lives.

Trump attributed the conflict to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, stating that Biden “egged it all on” by offering support to Ukraine rather than pressuring it to cede territory to Russia. He accused Biden and Harris of enabling the situation by providing Zelensky with unprecedented amounts of funding and weaponry.

Interestingly, Trump refrained from criticizing Putin’s rationale for the invasion, merely suggesting that the conflict would not have occurred if he were still in office. He did, however, remark, “He’s no angel” in reference to Putin.


Tags: Trump, Ukraine, Russia, US

Back  

» Related Articles:

Search

Search