President Donald Trump had tough words for both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview that aired Thursday, threating to ratchet up financial pressure on Russia while calling Zelenskyy “no angel.”
Trump promised on the campaign trail to quickly ended the war in Ukraine and is trying to force the two sides to the negotiating table.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but Trump said in the interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that Zelenskyy “shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen.”
“Zelenskyy was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful,” Trump said. “He shouldn’t have done that, because we could’ve made a deal… and Zelenskyy decided that I want to fight.”
The United States and European allies have rallied around Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, supplying the country with a huge amount of military aide. Trump said Ukraine “had the bravery to use the equipment, but in the end that’s a war (that) has to be settled.”
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Zelenskyy has shown interest in reaching a settlement, Trump noted. Putin could be harder to bring to the negotiating table. Trump reiterated in the interview that he’s willing to increase the pressure on Russia.
“If they don’t settle this war soon, like almost immediately, I’m going to put massive tariffs on Russia and massive taxes and also big sanctions,” Trump said. “And I don’t want to do that, you know I love the Russia people, they’re great people… but we’ve got to get this war ended.”
The interview also touched on a range of other foreign policy issues, including China, the Panama Canal and preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The United States built the canal but relinquished control of it to Panama, which Trump views as a mistake.
“We’re gonna have to take it back,” Trump said.
