Trump says Ukraine may not survive, even with US aid
This angered Europe. Europe has LOANED Ukraine a lot of money. What a loss.
Europe says the USA must be a backstop otherwise they won't put EU soldiers in Ukraine.
Europe-UK talking of Trump as one of Putin's useful idiots is not a good thing for Trump to be hearing!
Trump is not the sort of person that others can manipulate by saying dumb things about him and it hardens him against them as they are then his opponents.
Sounds like they also do not want peace. If Ukraine does not want peace and neither does Europe and UK, well Trump may just let them figure it out without the USA being involved anymore.
Trump is saying he will not further support the war. Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war. Well, he may just end the US enabling the war to continue.
Speaking to Fox News, the President claimed that Kyiv would struggle to resist the Russian invasion even with US military support.
Trump was asked about a warning from Polish President Andrzej Duda that Ukraine “would not survive” without American support.
Pressed on whether he was “comfortable” with that outcome, Mr Trump said: “Well, it may not survive anyway.
"But we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two.”
Trump’s latest remarks were met with swift condemnation.
Lord Dannatt, former head of the British army, stressed the need for a US security “backstop” before British, French and other troops are deployed to Ukraine as a peace-keeping force.
“Otherwise you have to ask the question and say frankly, ‘is Donald Trump just doing what Vladimir Putin wants?’ he told Times Radio.
“’Is Trump being Putin’s fool?’
“There is a gathering body of opinion that says frankly this is the case, that Trump is effectively playing Putin’s game.”
He continued: ”That comment about Ukraine may not still exist, was that just a throw away remark or does he actually mean that.
“If he means it then he is playing Putin’s game, Putin’s game is that Ukraine is not a legitimate country and should not exist.”
Last week, the US halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine in a bid to pile pressure on Mr Zelensky to cooperate with Washington in convening peace talks with Russia.
The suspension, which could cost lives by hurting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes, followed a halt to US military aid to Kyiv.
US officials will meet on Tuesday with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia in part to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war.
Also hanging over the talks in Jeddah is the fate of a minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv.
Trump said he hoped that both sides would “make a lot of progress this week”.
Mr Zelensky had been due to sign the minerals accord on a trip to the White House earlier this month, but the visit erupted into a clash between the two leaders with Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance accusing Kyiv of being insufficiently “grateful” for US support.
On Sunday, Mr Trump said he believed Ukraine would sign the minerals agreement, which Kyiv wants to contain a US security guarantee.
"They will sign the minerals deal but I want them to want peace... They haven't shown it to extent they should," he said.
In other developments, the Ukrainian military said on Monday that Russia launched 176 drones in an overnight attack.
The country's armed forces shot down 130 drones and another 42 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, the military said in a statement on Telegram.
It did not specify what happened to the remaining four drones.
This angered Europe. Europe has LOANED Ukraine a lot of money. What a loss.
Europe says the USA must be a backstop otherwise they won't put EU soldiers in Ukraine.
Europe-UK talking of Trump as one of Putin's useful idiots is not a good thing for Trump to be hearing!
Trump is not the sort of person that others can manipulate by saying dumb things about him and it hardens him against them as they are then his opponents.
Sounds like they also do not want peace. If Ukraine does not want peace and neither does Europe and UK, well Trump may just let them figure it out without the USA being involved anymore.
Trump is saying he will not further support the war. Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war. Well, he may just end the US enabling the war to continue.
Speaking to Fox News, the President claimed that Kyiv would struggle to resist the Russian invasion even with US military support.
Trump was asked about a warning from Polish President Andrzej Duda that Ukraine “would not survive” without American support.
Pressed on whether he was “comfortable” with that outcome, Mr Trump said: “Well, it may not survive anyway.
"But we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two.”
Trump’s latest remarks were met with swift condemnation.
Lord Dannatt, former head of the British army, stressed the need for a US security “backstop” before British, French and other troops are deployed to Ukraine as a peace-keeping force.
“Otherwise you have to ask the question and say frankly, ‘is Donald Trump just doing what Vladimir Putin wants?’ he told Times Radio.
“’Is Trump being Putin’s fool?’
“There is a gathering body of opinion that says frankly this is the case, that Trump is effectively playing Putin’s game.”
He continued: ”That comment about Ukraine may not still exist, was that just a throw away remark or does he actually mean that.
“If he means it then he is playing Putin’s game, Putin’s game is that Ukraine is not a legitimate country and should not exist.”
Last week, the US halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine in a bid to pile pressure on Mr Zelensky to cooperate with Washington in convening peace talks with Russia.
The suspension, which could cost lives by hurting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes, followed a halt to US military aid to Kyiv.
US officials will meet on Tuesday with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia in part to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war.
Also hanging over the talks in Jeddah is the fate of a minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv.
Trump said he hoped that both sides would “make a lot of progress this week”.
Mr Zelensky had been due to sign the minerals accord on a trip to the White House earlier this month, but the visit erupted into a clash between the two leaders with Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance accusing Kyiv of being insufficiently “grateful” for US support.
On Sunday, Mr Trump said he believed Ukraine would sign the minerals agreement, which Kyiv wants to contain a US security guarantee.
"They will sign the minerals deal but I want them to want peace... They haven't shown it to extent they should," he said.
In other developments, the Ukrainian military said on Monday that Russia launched 176 drones in an overnight attack.
The country's armed forces shot down 130 drones and another 42 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, the military said in a statement on Telegram.
It did not specify what happened to the remaining four drones.