Zelensky Reacts to Donald Trump Blaming Putin's Invasion on NATO

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reacted to President-elect Donald Trump's recent statements regarding the Russia-Ukraine war by warning people in interpreting U.S. policy with them in mind, according to Kyiv's state news agency Ukrinform.

After Trump recently said that President Joe Biden is responsible for Russia's invasion, as he believed the Democrat's support of Ukraine's NATO bid concerned Moscow, Zelensky dismissed this.

Zelensky's dismissal of Trump blaming Kyiv's goal to join NATO for the start of the war is significant because it indicates a possible change in U.S.-Ukraine relations, particularly between the two leaders. Further, the president-elect's statement could be seen as sympathetic toward Russia and so worsen U.S.-Ukraine relations.

What To Know

In a press conference on January 7, the president-elect spoke about why he blames President Joe Biden for the escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and said: "You know, a big part of the problem was Russia, for many years, long before Putin, said you could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.

"That's been, like, written in stone and, somewhere along the line, Biden said, 'No, they should be able to join NATO.' Then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. I could understand their [Russia's] feelings about that."

Zelensky responded to this comment during a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen yesterday. He said that one of the reasons the war began is because Ukraine is not a member of NATO and therefore did not have security guarantees.

Zelensky said that, "unfortunately, with all due respect to all European countries and the United States, with all due respect to the amount [of assistance] that has been provided to us since the beginning of the war, but [regarding Ukraine's membership in] NATO, there was no joint support from the United States with all allies in Europe."

He added that the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia were opposed to Ukraine's ascension into the international alliance.

Zelensky added that he believes this "is one of the reasons we have a war. Because they weren't afraid that Ukraine would be with someone." He said that "Putin understood that no one would stand up for Ukraine. His army is bigger, and he thought he could destroy us. But the Ukrainian army is an army of strong people. Our people amazed the whole world."

Regarding policy, the Ukrainian president referenced the Patriot air defense systems and said: "Ukraine was told that Patriot systems can and do exist only in NATO countries? Either we have been in NATO for a long time, or we should not draw hasty conclusions. This is what happened to us with Patriot, missile systems, and other NATO-style weapons. We must work and do everything so that Ukraine receives security guarantees worthy of our people, which could stop Putin. We will work on this."

Zelensky brought the idea of Ukraine's ascension to NATO back into the fore as part of his "victory plan" in the fall, after Kyiv's joining the organization had been discussed previously for 16 years. NATO and the allies did not endorse "advancing" Ukraine's ascension into the intergovernmental alliance as the Ukrainian president requested, and it remains a subject of controversy in the war.

Trump's advisers' plans to end the war in Ukraine and achieve peace include: Kyiv abandoning its efforts to join NATO and ceasing all conflict at the front lines; creating a Demilitarized Zone; and allowing both countries to retain the territory they have seized.

What People Are Saying

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Daniel Davis, a combat veteran and host of Daniel Davis Deep Dive, wrote: "Trump gave an unexpected shot across the bow today to #Zelensky & European leaders when he strongly implied he has no plans to offer #NATO membership—neither now nor later—to #Ukraine in any end-of-war negotiations with #Russia. While this may seem like a harsh thing to do, #Trump is setting proper expectations now for Ukrainians and Western allies alike, because the equally harsh truth is that there is no military solution for Ukraine to prevent military loss at this point."

"Trump indicated in his remarks that he is anguished by the large number of men dying in the war and wants to see the conflict brought to an end. If there was any chance of ending on positive terms for Ukraine he'll find them, but to hold out false hope that Trump's assumption into office will someone neutralize Russia's military superiority and produce an outcome beneficial to Kyiv is not just unrealistic, but cruel. There is no such positive outcome to be found. See the full episode here: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the Russia-Ukraine war, cautioning against interpreting U.S. policy based solely on these comments, according to Kyiv’s state news agency Ukrinform.

Trump recently attributed the Russia-Ukraine conflict to President Joe Biden, arguing that Biden’s support for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations provoked Moscow. Zelensky rejected this assertion, emphasizing that Ukraine’s NATO ambitions were not the primary cause of the war. This dismissal underscores potential tensions in U.S.-Ukraine relations under Trump’s administration, especially given the implications of his statement, which could be viewed as sympathetic toward Russia.

Key Points

During a January 7 press conference, Trump explained his stance on Biden’s role in escalating the conflict, stating: “A big part of the problem was Russia, for many years, long before Putin, said you could never have NATO involved with Ukraine. Somewhere along the line, Biden said, ‘No, they should be able to join NATO.’ Then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. I could understand their [Russia’s] feelings about that.”

Zelensky countered this during a meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, asserting that one reason the war began was Ukraine’s lack of NATO membership and the associated security guarantees. He stated, “Unfortunately, with all due respect to all European countries and the United States, there was no unified support for Ukraine’s NATO membership.” He noted opposition from the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia as a factor emboldening Russia.

“Putin understood that no one would stand up for Ukraine. His army is bigger, and he thought he could destroy us. But the Ukrainian army is an army of strong people. Our people amazed the whole world,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky highlighted the issue of NATO weapons, such as Patriot air defense systems, as symbolic of Ukraine’s struggle for security guarantees. “Ukraine was told that Patriot systems exist only in NATO countries. Either we have been in NATO for a long time, or we should not draw hasty conclusions,” he remarked.

NATO and Ukraine

Zelensky’s push for NATO membership intensified as part of his “victory plan” in the fall, although Ukraine’s NATO aspirations have been under discussion for 16 years. Despite this, NATO allies have not endorsed advancing Ukraine’s membership, keeping it a contentious issue in the ongoing war.

Trump’s advisers propose ending the conflict by requiring Kyiv to abandon its NATO ambitions, cease hostilities, establish a demilitarized zone, and accept current territorial realities.

Reactions

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Daniel Davis, a combat veteran and host of Daniel Davis Deep Dive, commented: “Trump gave an unexpected shot across the bow today to #Zelensky & European leaders when he strongly implied he has no plans to offer #NATO membership to #Ukraine in any end-of-war negotiations with #Russia. While this may seem harsh, #Trump is setting proper expectations for Ukrainians and Western allies alike.”

Davis argued that holding out hope for a military solution favorable to Ukraine is unrealistic. He added, “If there was any chance of ending on positive terms for Ukraine, Trump will find them, but to assume his administration could neutralize Russia’s military advantage is cruel.”

Uncertain Future

Whether Ukraine will achieve NATO membership before the war’s conclusion remains unclear, as do Trump’s plans for providing security guarantees to Kyiv in peace negotiations with Russia.

Whether Ukraine will begin its ascension into NATO prior to the end of the war is unclear at this time, and so are Trump's ideas for providing security guarantees to Kyiv in peace negotiations with Russia.