During a recent get-together at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump made a rather outlandish claim about Vladimir Putin that left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chuckling in disbelief.
The 79-year-old Trump and 47-year-old Zelensky convened on Sunday to chew over a peace deal aimed at stopping the ongoing war with Russia. After the meeting, they spoke at a press conference where they hinted that some strides had been made, although nothing concrete seemed imminent.
Things took a turn when Trump offered up a series of remarks that left many wondering. Specifically, he showered praise on Putin, who is 73, mentioning a lengthy chat they had ahead of the meeting.
“Russia wants to see Ukraine s d,” Trump declared, immediately raising an eyebrow from Zelensky.
In response, Trump himself acknowledged, “It sounds a little strange,” while Zelensky, wearing a grin, replied with a dry, “Yeah.”
This wasn’t the first time Zelensky had to endure Trump’s overly complimentary comments about Putin that day. “I was explaining to President Zelensky that Putin has a very generous feeling toward Ukraine s ding,” Trump remarked with a hint of pride.
Zelensky seemed to stifle a reaction as Trump continued to emphasize his affinity toward Putin, conveniently omitting the fact that it was Putin who ignited the war by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.
Trump hinted at having a connection with Putin tied to past federal inquiries regarding his 2016 campaign’s Russian connections.
“I get along with him very well despite all that Russia Russia Russia nonsense, which was all made up,” Trump insisted. “It was a total hoax, just as he knows and I know.”
Blaming former President Joe Biden for the escalation of the conflict, Trump claimed that Putin wasn’t inclined to take action against Ukraine until Biden made “a lot of bad statements.”
Despite constantly positioning himself as a proponent of peace, Trump expressed that he can see why Putin opposes Ukraine’s calls for a ceasefire.
“He believes that if they stop fighting and have to reopen hostilities later, that’s a scenario he wants to avoid—I get that,” Trump noted.
It’s worth remembering the scale of aggression Putin displayed, launching over 100 drone attacks on Ukraine during Christmas, which tragically resulted in the death of at least seven civilians.
In reaction to Trump’s comments, GOP senators like Thom Tillis, Jerry Moran, and John Barrasso along with some Democrats reminded everyone that Putin is, in fact, a “ruthless murderer.”
This isn’t Trump’s first time trying to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace plan that favors Putin. The meetings on Sunday aimed to discuss guarantees for security and potential territorial exchanges.
Zelensky briefed reporters that their peace proposal is “90 percent” ready—exactly the same figure he mentioned before their discussions.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for any remarks on the meeting.
