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Trump blames Zelensky and Biden for Ukraine war: ‘If I had been re-elected, it would never have started’

After the Sumy massacre, the former US president returns to point the finger at the Ukrainian leader and his predecessor in the White House, reiterating that under his administration the conflict would not have taken place

In the aftermath of the devastating Russian attack on the Ukrainian town of Sumy, which claimed the lives of at least 34 people, Donald Trump has returned to the subject of the war in Ukraine, reviving his accusations against Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden. For the current president of the United States, according to a statement on Truth Social, the conflict is the ‘fault’ of the two leaders, guilty of having ‘allowed’ the start of the war due to – according to him – wicked choices and diplomatic incapacity.

‘Zelensky and Joe Biden the Corrupt did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this tragedy to begin. There were so many ways to prevent it from the beginning. But that is the past. Now we must bring it to an end, and quickly. How sad!’ the former president wrote, again linking the war to the 2020 election result, which he continues to describe as “rigged”.

In his message, Trump remarked that ‘the war between Russia and Ukraine is Biden’s war, not mine’, claiming that during his four years in the White House ‘there was no problem preventing it’. He added: ‘Putin, and everyone else, respected your president!’

According to Trump, had he been re-elected, the war would never have broken out. And despite claiming to be uninvolved in the conflict, he said he was ‘working to bring an end to death and destruction’. Regarding the bombing of Sumy, the former president called the incident ‘horrible’, but also stated that he was told it was ‘a mistake’.

These words come in stark contrast to those uttered a few hours after the attack by General Keith Kellogg, the presidential envoy for Ukraine, who accused Russia of ‘overstepping all limits’.

Meanwhile, from the still smouldering scene, Ukrainian President Zelensky issued a new warning about the possible escalation of the conflict. In an exclusive interview with the CBS programme 60 Minutes, recorded in Kryvyi Rih – his hometown – Zelensky spoke of the threat posed by Moscow and the risk of war on a global scale.

‘If we do not stand firm in our position, he will advance again,’ he said referring to Vladimir Putin. ‘This is not just an assumption: the threat is real. Putin’s ultimate goal is to rebuild the Russian empire, taking back territories now protected by NATO.’

Zelensky also recalled the recent Russian missile attack that hit a playground, killing 19 civilians, including nine children. And he concluded with a dramatic warning: ‘Considering all this, I think it may come to a world war. There will no longer be a safe place, for anyone’.

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