Trump Calls Ukraine "Demolished," Criticizes U.S. Support in War Effort

Donald Trump describes Ukraine as "demolished" and its people as "dead," blaming Biden for the war. He argues that a bad deal with Russia would've been better than the conflict.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken about Ukraine in harsh and sorrowful terms, calling the country "demolished" and its people "dead." His words, made during a speech in North Carolina on Wednesday, have raised new questions about how he would handle Ukraine’s future if he were elected president again.

Trump has often criticized the U.S.'s support for Ukraine, and his recent statements suggest he believes Ukraine should have made early compromises to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump argued that even "the worst deal" would have been better than the current state of the war. 

He said, "If they made a bad deal, it would've been much better. They would've given up a little bit, but everyone would be alive, and the country would still be standing."

Trump claimed that if he had been president, Russia would never have attacked Ukraine. He also said that he would end the war quickly if he returned to the White House. These are claims he has made before, but he has rarely spoken in such detail about the conflict.

His words came just days after he refused to clearly state whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war during a debate. Trump has often highlighted Russia’s military strength, and in his speech, he described war as something Russia and the former Soviet Union are known for. "That’s what they do," he said.

Trump’s criticism of Ukraine seems to have been caused by recent comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy, who is currently in the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly, recently said in an interview that Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, was "too radical" for suggesting that Ukraine should give up territories now controlled by Russia. Zelenskiy also said Trump "doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he thinks he does."

Trump responded to these comments by calling them "nasty aspersions" and took aim at Zelenskiy during his North Carolina speech. He painted a grim picture of Ukraine, saying the country is in ruins outside its capital, Kyiv. He claimed that Ukraine is running out of soldiers, and its population is shrinking due to deaths and people fleeing to neighboring countries.

"Any deal, even the worst deal, would've been better than what we have now," Trump said. "The country is in rubble. The people are dead. What can we negotiate with now?"

Zelenskiy, during his visit to the U.S., is trying to gain more support from the White House. He has a "victory plan" that includes asking for long-range Western weapons to help Ukraine target Russia.

Trump blamed the ongoing conflict on current U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He said that Biden "egged it all on" by supporting Ukraine’s defense instead of encouraging Ukraine to give up land to Russia early in the conflict. According to Trump, "Biden and Kamala allowed this to happen by feeding Zelenskiy money and weapons like no country has ever seen before."

Interestingly, Trump did not criticize Putin directly for starting the war. He only suggested that Putin would not have attacked Ukraine if Trump had been in office. However, Trump did say of the Russian president, "He's no angel."

Trump’s comments continue to show his controversial stance on Ukraine and U.S. involvement in the conflict. As the war continues, his views will likely remain a major talking point as he campaigns for the presidency again.