Donald Trump has once again accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia, the day after 35 people were killed in an attack by Putin’s forces.
On Sunday, Russia carried out its deadliest civilian attack of the year after a missile hit the city of Sumy. Some 35 people were killed in the attack and another 117 injured.
The attack prompted widespread condemnation from the international community, but President Trump decided it was once again the time to repeat unfounded claims that Ukraine started the conflict with Russia.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, he said Ukrainian leader President Volodymyr Zelensky was one of “three people” responsible for “millions of people” dying.
He told reporters: “Millions of people dead because of three people. Let’s say Putin number one, let’s say Biden who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have died in the war, but not millions, the BBC reports.
When asked about the Russian attack, Trump said it was “terrible” but that he had been told Russia had “made a mistake.”
He went on to then say that Zelensky shouldn’t have ‘started a war against somebody 20 times your size.’
Responding to a question about the Ukraine leader’s offer to purchase more missiles, Trump said: “He’s always looking to purchase missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you’ve got to know you can win a war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size & then hope that people give you some missiles.”
This is not the first time Trump has suggested Ukraine and Zelensky started the conflict with Russia, which has now lasted more than three years.
In February, the president seemed to blame Ukraine for the war to last for three years, telling reporters the country should “never have started” the conflict.
His comments were widely called out for the lie they were, including by Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge.
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