WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of failing to end Ukraine's war with Russia, now nearing three years, citing its severe humanitarian and economic impact.
During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday, Trump described Zelenskyy as "completely incompetent, had no idea what he was doing and said some very stupid things." Trump added that Zelenskyy "has made many bad statements, but he is blatantly incompetent, emphasizing that the war should never have happened and warning that its continuation "could lead to World War III." He pointed out that Ukraine has not held elections and that what is happening there is "essentially martial law." Trump also criticized Zelenskyy's statement last week, in which he admitted that he did not know where half of the funds provided by the US had gone.
Trump stressed that he wants to see peace between Ukraine and Russia and that he does not want "all these people getting killed anymore." Trump stated that Russia has not launched as many missiles as it could, saying, "they've done it at 20 percent, but if they wanted to go 100 percent," he expects Kyiv to fall very quickly.
Trump also addressed the possibility of European troops being deployed to Ukraine, saying he would be fine with it if European leaders agreed.
CNN reported that as Trump was leaving the press conference, he said it was "possible" that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of the month.
After returning to office, Trump reiterated his promise to work toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war, noting that just days ago, he held separate calls with both leaders as part of his efforts to broker peace. (end) asj.ahm