Former U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview, accused Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky of being responsible for the largest conflict Europe has seen since World War II. Trump stated, “Zelensky is one of the best marketers I’ve ever seen. Whenever he comes, we give him 100 billion dollars. Who has ever received that much money in history? Never. He should never have allowed this war to start. It’s a failed war.”

In a Thursday interview, former U.S. President Donald Trump held Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responsible for Russia’s invasion of his country. The largest conflict in Europe since World War II began with Russian President Vladimir Putin amassing troops on the border and then launching a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

PREVIOUSLY ACCUSING ZELENSKY Trump had previously blamed Zelensky, the one attacked rather than giving the order to start the war, instead of the Russian leader Putin. During his recent interview, Trump stated, “Zelensky is one of the best marketers I’ve ever seen. Whenever he comes, we give him 100 billion dollars. Who has ever received that much money in history? Never. I’m not saying I don’t want to help him, I feel very sorry for those people. But he should never have allowed this war to start. It’s a failed war.” Trump had also mentioned during a rally in North Carolina, “Cities went down, and we keep giving billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal.”

TRUMP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PUTIN Last month, Zelensky and Trump met at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Trump had expressed his desire for the war to end with “a fair deal for both sides,” while the Ukrainian leader insisted on pressuring Putin. In response, Trump claimed to have very good relationships with both Zelensky and Putin.