Trump Praises Russia’s Military Record, Mocks US Aid to Ukraine
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Donald Trump, on Tuesday, lauded Russia’s military capabilities in historical conflicts and criticized US aid to Ukraine, once again expressing his conviction that he would swiftly end the war initiated by Moscow’s invasion if elected president.
Speaking in Savannah, Georgia, Trump derided President Joe Biden’s repeated statement that the US would stand firmly behind the Ukrainian armed forces until Kyiv achieves victory in the war. He brought up two historical conflicts to suggest that Moscow would not be defeated – the former Soviet Union’s role in overcoming Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in World War II during the 1940s, and French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s failed invasion of Russia over a century earlier.
Trump insisted that the US had “to get out,” although he didn’t elaborate on how he would negotiate an end to US involvement in the war.
“Biden says, ‘We will not leave until we win,'” Trump said, lowering his voice to mimic the Democratic president. “What happens if they win? That’s what they do, is they fight wars. As somebody told me the other day, they beat Hitler, they beat Napoleon. That’s what they do. They fight. And it’s not pleasant.”
A campaign official for Trump also revealed on Tuesday that the Republican nominee will not be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, who is visiting the US to attend the opening of the UN General Assembly.
No meeting had been planned between the two, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning, despite a statement from Ukrainian officials last week indicating that Zelenskyy intended to meet with the former president.
Trump on Tuesday reiterated his characterization of Zelenskyy as “the greatest salesman on Earth” for securing US aid to assist Ukraine.
“Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion,” Trump stated, inaccurately. The US has provided over $56 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded in 2022, as confirmed by the State Department.
Trump and Zelenskyy share a lengthy history dating back to the former US president’s time in the White House. The then-president pressured Zelenskyy to open investigations of Biden and his son Hunter, along with a cybersecurity firm that Trump falsely linked to Ukraine. This phone call – and the White House’s withholding of $400 million in military aid – led to Trump’s first impeachment.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with Biden and Harris in Washington.
Earlier this week, in an interview with The New Yorker, Zelenskyy hinted that Trump doesn’t fully grasp the conflict and oversimplifies it. He also labeled Trump’s running mate JD Vance as “too radical” and essentially advocating for Ukraine to “make a sacrifice” by “giving up its territories.”
On Monday, Trump’s son Donald Jr. criticized Zelenskyy on X, reminding his followers that the suspect in his father’s second assassination attempt had condemned Trump’s foreign policy approach, including the war in Ukraine.
“So a foreign leader who has received billions of dollars in funding from American taxpayers, comes to our country and has the nerve to attack the GOP ticket for President?” he posted.
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.