Donald Trump has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of helping start Ukraine's war with Russia.
This comment once again shows that Trump is likely to radically change the US policy towards Kiev if he wins the election on November 5, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The former Republican president has often criticized Zelensky during his current election campaign, repeatedly calling him “the greatest businessman on Earth” for having requested and received billions of dollars in US military aid since the war broke out in 2022.
Trump has also subjected the Ukrainian leader to harsh criticism for failing to reach peace with Moscow. Trump suggested that Ukraine might have to cede some of its territory to Russia in order to reach a peace deal, a concession that Kiev considers unacceptable.
Trump's comments, made yesterday on the PBD Podcast, went a step further than his previous criticisms. He said Zelensky was guilty not only of failing to end the war, but of helping to start it, even though the conflict erupted when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory.
"That doesn't mean I don't want to help him, because I feel very sorry for these people. But he should never have allowed this war to begin.“
In September, Zelensky presented Trump with his “plan for victory” to end the war during a meeting in New York that the two leaders described as cordial.
Trump's public comments, however, suggest he may try to end aid to Ukraine if he defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, on Nov. 5. Trump has repeatedly said he could end the conflict before he takes office in January, but has not said how.
Harris pledged continued support for Ukraine and presented the Eastern European country's victory as a vital US national security interest. She has often chided Trump for not wanting to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters notes.
Moscow's Defense Ministry said Russian forces had taken control of the village of Maksimilianovka, less than 10 kilometers from the key town of Kurakhove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the RIA news agency reported, citing Reuters and BTA .
Reuters could not independently confirm this report from the battlefield.
Kurakhove sector, west of the Russian-controlled regional center of Donetsk, is one of the directions of a steady Russian advance through Donetsk Oblast.
Russia is trying to reach the Pokrovsk logistics center, about 50 km to the north.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army announced late last night that over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have repelled 36 of 45 offensive attempts near Kurakhov. Nine battles still going on.
The popular Ukrainian military blog “DeepState“ (DeepState) informs that control of Maksimilianovka is still disputed.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, accompanied by the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khadja Labib, visited a military hospital in Brussels where Ukrainian fighters are being treated, BTA reported.
This was announced on the president's website, reports Ukrinform.
„The President visited soldiers who have been housed in the burn center since the beginning of September. They suffered mine blast injuries and second- to third-degree burns while defending Ukraine in the Donetsk region. Their current condition is stable and they are receiving intensive therapy on a daily basis, the statement said.
Zelensky talked to the soldiers, thanked them for protecting Ukraine and awarded them with state awards.
The president also expressed his gratitude to Belgium and specifically to the Belgian doctors for saving the lives of the Ukrainian defenders.
Yesterday, Zelensky presented the plan for Ukraine's victory at the EU summit in Brussels.