PUTIN'S SOCK PUPPET
By AFP
April 14, 2025
US President Donald Trump resumed his attempts Monday to blame Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion, falsely accusing him of responsibility for “millions” of deaths.
Trump — who had a blazing public row in the Oval Office with Zelensky six weeks ago — said the Ukranian shared the blame with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion, and then-US president Joe Biden.
The Republican told reporters that there were “millions of people dead because of three people.”
“Let’s say Putin number one, but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky,” Trump said during a meeting with the visiting president of El Salvador.
Trump then doubled down on his attack on Zelensky.
“He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” he said dismissively of the Ukrainian leader’s attempts to maintain his country’s defense against the Russian invasion.
“When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war,” Trump said. “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
Relations between Trump and Zelensky have been tense ever since the US president stunned the world by opening talks with Russia in February.
In the run-up to their televised row on February 28 Trump repeatedly echoed Moscow’s talking points — blaming Ukraine for the war and calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections.”
Zelensky has since tried to patch things up, including sending a delegation to Washington last week to discuss a mineral deal Trump has called for, that would give the US preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources.
But the US leader has stepped up his rhetoric in the last few days.
Trump however insisted a deal to end the Ukraine war was possible, despite Ukrainian accusations that Moscow is stalling.
“I want to stop the killing, and I think we’re doing well in that regard. I think you’ll have some very good proposals very soon,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments came despite a deadly Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday that killed at least 35 people, one of the deadliest attacks of the war.
The US president said on Sunday that the attack was a “mistake” but did not elaborate. Russia insisted Monday that its missiles hit a meeting of Ukrainian army commanders.
Zelensky urged US counterpart Donald Trump in a CBS interview broadcast Sunday to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion.
Zelensky urges Trump to visit Ukraine to see war devastation: CBS
By AFP
April 13, 2025
A Russian strike killed at least 34 people in Ukrainian city Sumy on Sunday - Copyright AFP ADEK BERRY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged US counterpart Donald Trump on Sunday to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion.
“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” he said in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview broadcast Sunday.
With a visit to Ukraine, Trump “will understand what (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin did.”
“You will understand with whom you have a deal,” Zelensky added.
Zelensky’s invitation follows the heated row at the White House in late February between the Ukrainian president, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, which played out in front of press.
Vance at the time accused Ukraine of hosting foreign leaders on “propaganda tours” to win support.
Zelensky repeated his denial of that allegation, and told CBS that if Trump chose to visit Ukraine, “we will not prepare anything. It will not be theater.”
“You can go exactly where you want, in any city which (has) been under attacks.”
Trump is pushing for a quick end to the more than three-year war, with the United States holding direct talks with Russia despite its unrelenting attacks on Ukraine.
Washington has also held talks with Ukrainian officials on a potential truce, while European nations are discussing a military deployment to reinforce any Ukraine ceasefire.
Kyiv has previously agreed to a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire but Moscow has turned it down.
“Putin can’t be trusted. I told that to President Trump many times. So when you ask why the ceasefire isn’t working — this is why,” Zelensky said.
“Putin never wanted an end to the war. Putin never wanted us to be independent. Putin wants to destroy us completely — our sovereignty and our people.”
Zelensky spoke to CBS Friday in his hometown Kryvyi Rig, where a Russian strike earlier this month killed 18 people, including nine children.
The Ukrainian leader said he had “100 percent hatred” for Putin, asking “how else can you see a person who came here and murdered our people, murdered children?”
However he added that the animosity “doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to end the war as soon as possible.”
As negotiations continue over ending the war, Zelensky said that a just peace would be “to not lose our sovereignty or our independence,” and pledged to eventually reclaim any territory currently held by Russia.
“We, no matter what, will take back what is ours because we never lost it — the Russians took it from us.”
By AFP
April 13, 2025
A Russian strike killed at least 34 people in Ukrainian city Sumy on Sunday - Copyright AFP ADEK BERRY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged US counterpart Donald Trump on Sunday to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion.
“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” he said in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview broadcast Sunday.
With a visit to Ukraine, Trump “will understand what (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin did.”
“You will understand with whom you have a deal,” Zelensky added.
Zelensky’s invitation follows the heated row at the White House in late February between the Ukrainian president, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, which played out in front of press.
Vance at the time accused Ukraine of hosting foreign leaders on “propaganda tours” to win support.
Zelensky repeated his denial of that allegation, and told CBS that if Trump chose to visit Ukraine, “we will not prepare anything. It will not be theater.”
“You can go exactly where you want, in any city which (has) been under attacks.”
Trump is pushing for a quick end to the more than three-year war, with the United States holding direct talks with Russia despite its unrelenting attacks on Ukraine.
Washington has also held talks with Ukrainian officials on a potential truce, while European nations are discussing a military deployment to reinforce any Ukraine ceasefire.
Kyiv has previously agreed to a US-proposed unconditional ceasefire but Moscow has turned it down.
“Putin can’t be trusted. I told that to President Trump many times. So when you ask why the ceasefire isn’t working — this is why,” Zelensky said.
“Putin never wanted an end to the war. Putin never wanted us to be independent. Putin wants to destroy us completely — our sovereignty and our people.”
Zelensky spoke to CBS Friday in his hometown Kryvyi Rig, where a Russian strike earlier this month killed 18 people, including nine children.
The Ukrainian leader said he had “100 percent hatred” for Putin, asking “how else can you see a person who came here and murdered our people, murdered children?”
However he added that the animosity “doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to end the war as soon as possible.”
As negotiations continue over ending the war, Zelensky said that a just peace would be “to not lose our sovereignty or our independence,” and pledged to eventually reclaim any territory currently held by Russia.
“We, no matter what, will take back what is ours because we never lost it — the Russians took it from us.”
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