Trump’s fiery rant: Zelensky 'Begged' U.S. for 350 billion dollar, couldn’t stop war

Former U.S. President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, accusing him of doing a "terrible job" and missing an opportunity to engage in peace talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia. His remarks came just hours after he labeled Zelensky a “dictator” in a post on Truth Social. “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote, escalating tensions as the U.S. and Russia began negotiations to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ukraine left out of peace talks

While Washington has initiated discussions with Moscow to broker an end to the war, Kyiv has been excluded from these high-level negotiations. Reacting to this, Zelensky stated that Ukraine would not accept any resolution reached without its involvement.

Trump calls war ‘Senseless’, blames Zelensky

During a press conference at his Florida residence, Trump reiterated his stance, saying, “Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the barbarianism that’s going on over there. Soldiers are being killed by thousands on a weekly basis. Apart from Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, a lot of Koreans have been killed. We want to end it. It’s a senseless war. It should have never happened.” He further held Zelensky responsible for the three-year-long conflict, arguing that the Ukrainian president could have prevented the war. “Today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” Trump said.

Trump criticizes U.S. aid to Ukraine

Trump also took aim at the financial aid provided to Ukraine, criticizing the massive U.S. expenditure. “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a war that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,” he stated.

U.S. reassures Ukraine amid talks

While Kyiv has voiced concerns over being excluded from negotiations, U.S. officials have sought to reassure Ukrainian leaders. The U.S. Secretary of State has emphasized that Ukraine will play a crucial role in any final decisions. Senator Marco Rubio, speaking to the Associated Press, stated, “No one is being sidelined here. Obviously, there’s going to be engagement and consultation with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe and others. But ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort.”