Trump blames Zelenskyy for 'starting' Ukraine war, calls him 'incompetent'

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for the ongoing Ukraine war and calling him a "grossly incompetent" leader and a poor negotiator.

Trump's remarks came after Zelenskyy expressed frustration over Ukraine’s exclusion from the US-Russia peace talks in Riyadh, which aimed at discussing ways to end the war.

Trump slams Ukraine’s absence at peace talks

The high-level discussions in Riyadh, which brought together US and Russian officials, marked a significant diplomatic effort to end the war that began in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. However, Ukraine was not invited to these talks, leading Zelenskyy to publicly reject any potential agreements made without Ukraine’s participation.

Responding to Ukraine’s outrage over its exclusion, Trump dismissed the complaints, saying Ukraine should have ended the war long ago.

"Today I heard, 'oh, we weren’t invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," Trump said.

Trump hints at meeting with Putin amid peace negotiations

The US President also hinted that he would "probably" meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, amid efforts to bring the war to a close. Trump had previously claimed he was in direct contact with both Putin and Zelenskyy and believed he had the power to end the war.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed reporters about the Riyadh talks, stated that there was no set date for a Trump-Putin meeting.

He also emphasised that while Ukraine and its European allies would be consulted, Russia’s involvement was crucial to achieving peace.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce added that the Riyadh talks aimed to gauge Russia's willingness to engage in peace negotiations and whether a structured diplomatic process could begin.

Trump blasts Biden’s handling of Ukraine conflict

Trump took the opportunity to criticise former President Joe Biden, accusing him of failing to resolve the conflict.

"I think I have the power to end this war," Trump said.

However, Sean Savett, who served as a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council under Biden, strongly rejected Trump's stance, accusing him of falling for Putin’s propaganda.

"Sounds like Trump bought Putin’s propaganda hook, line, and sinker. A reminder no one should need: Putin started the war by invading Ukraine unprovoked, and his forces have committed war crimes against the Ukrainian people. Russia is the party responsible for this war continuing," Savett stated.

Trump calls for elections in Ukraine

During his remarks, Trump also urged Ukraine to hold elections, claiming that it was a matter of internal governance rather than a Russian issue.

"That's not a Russian thing. That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also," he added.