WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested in an interview that aired Thursday night that Ukraine should not have fought when Russia invaded it.
"Zelenskyy was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "He shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal."
Trump has argued that Zelenskyy should have made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to avoid the war, a stance he reiterated in the Fox News interview.
"I could have made that deal so easily, and Zelenskyy decided that 'I want to fight,'" Trump said.
Trump went on to compare the number of tanks each country had, emphasizing that Russia had more.
"You don't fight those," Trump said.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked how Trump thinks Ukraine should have replied when Russia launched its invasion. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia, a U.S. adversary, attacked Ukraine, a U.S. ally, in February 2022. Casualties are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.
Former President Joe Biden, who was in office when Russia attacked, consistently emphasized his alliance with Ukraine, pushing for aid packages for the beleaguered country and praising Zelenskyy's leadership. The Biden administration also placed sanctions on Russia shortly after it invaded, citing the war and other issues.
Trump has taken a markedly different approach, saying in the Fox News interview that Zelenskyy is "no angel," adding that he "shouldn't have allowed this war to happen." Trump also said that if Russia does not move to "settle this war soon," the United States would put "massive tariffs" and "big sanctions" on Russia.
Trump has said he would end the war within one day. However, there are no signs that it is any closer to ending.
Trump met with Zelenskyy in September, when he said he would work to end the war with a deal "that's good for both sides."
"We’re going to work very much with both parties to try and get this settled and get it worked out," Trump told reporters before they met.
The same month, Trump also referred to Putin at a campaign rally as "no angel."
Trump's comments came in a two-part Fox News interview that was recorded Wednesday. The second part of the interview, which included Trump's comments about Zelenskyy, aired Thursday.
