Three years later, Donald Trump is rewriting the history of Russia's invasion of a neighboring country. In this version, Ukraine is not the victim, but the villain. And Mr. Zelensky is not the Winston Churchill of recent times, but a «dictator without elections» who somehow started the war himself, making the US pay for it, briefly summarizes the new «worldview» of the Washington Post.
Trump has expressed deep sorrow several times in recent days about how many people have been killed and how much of Ukraine's territory has been destroyed. However, he claims that Zelensky, not Putin, is responsible for this carnage, stating that «millions of people died unnecessarily».
A day after the false statement that Ukraine started the war, Trump made another claim against the ally's leader, based on lies. «Just think, the humble successful comedian Volodymyr Zelensky persuaded the United States of America to spend $350 billion on a war that cannot be won», he wrote on his social network. Meanwhile, official data announced by the State Department indicates that the US allocated only a third of this amount, and that after the invasion began, without any persuasion, as part of an agreement with allies.
Similarly, Trump has been insisting for several days on Zelensky's trust rating of 4%, despite published poll figures showing the trust level in Ukraine's president is 57%, while Trump's is 48%. However, according to the US president, it is Zelensky who is the «dictator», not Putin, who has been in the Kremlin for a quarter of a century, killing and imprisoning opponents. «A dictator without elections, Zelensky must act quickly, or he will have no country left», Trump warned.
«Sounds like Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov handed [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio a memo, and now they are just reading it», said former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. Zelensky also stated that Trump «got caught in a web of disinformation». After which Vice President J.D. Vance warned Zelensky to stop «slandering» Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump's statements have sparked reactions in the US and Europe. «Mr. President, Ukraine did not «start» this war,» former Vice President Mike Pence addressed Trump on social media. — «Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion, taking hundreds of thousands of lives. The road to peace must be built on truth».
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia urged Republicans to «speak out», stating that «nobody believes, except Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin», that Ukraine started the war, and that «dictator» Zelensky is to blame for the loss of lives. However, only a few Republicans disagreed with Trump's statements, without directly criticizing him, simply expressing their opinion. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a long-time supporter of Ukraine, stated that Trump needs «space» to work on a peace agreement.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Trump's statements are «wrong and dangerous», and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Trump to «look at the real world, not just tweet».
On Thursday, four senior US officials told NBC that as one of the possible points of security guarantees for Kyiv, the US is considering automatic NATO membership for Ukraine if Moscow violates the terms of a future peace agreement. However, as NBC clarifies, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity within the 2014 borders is considered an «unrealistic goal» in Washington.
Photo: The New York Times