On Monday, US President Donald Trump strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine would never have happened if he was president.
Trump made his remarks soon after Russia carried out a massive airstrike over the weekend that resulted in the sad loss of several civilian lives, including children.
Going live on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump lashed out at Putin with fierce words, labeling him "crazy" while acknowledging they once had a good relationship.
I've always gotten along very well with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone completely CRAZY! He is unnecessarily killing many people, and I'm not talking about the soldiers. Missiles and drones are being launched into cities in Ukraine for no reason at all," Trump wrote.
He added, "Haven't I been saying that we want ALL of Ukraine, not part, and perhaps that's true, but if he does, it will be the destruction of Russia!"
Trump also lashed out at Zelensky, reacting to the Ukrainian president's apparent recent charge that "America's silence" emboldens Putin.
"Similarly, President Zelensky is not doing his nation any good by speaking the way that he does. All that comes from his lips causes trouble, I dislike it, and it needs to stop. This is a war that would never have begun if I was President," Trump said.
Until Sunday night, Trump had kept quiet regarding the Russian airstrikes but finally addressed the press, expressing shock at Putin's actions.
"He's killing a lot of people. I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that," Trump said of Putin.
Trying to distance himself from the war that was in process, Trump laid the blame on Zelensky, Putin, and his predecessor Joe Biden.
This is Zelensky's, Putin's, and Biden's war, not 'Trump's.' I am simply helping put out the big and nasty fires that have been ignited by gross incompetence and hate," he added.
The fatal Russian bombardments came shortly after the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, involving approximately 1,000 prisoners from both sides.
The Ukrainian government reported that two of the victims were children, eight and twelve years old, and a 17-year-old, in the northwestern region of Zhytomyr.
As a response to the escalation, Trump suggested that he may include tougher sanctions against Russia, though his stance seems to be at odds with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio just informed Congress that Trump does not want threats of sanctions at this time to deter Russia from entering talks.
