Donald Trump prompted an incredulous laugh from Volodymyr Zelensky with a bizarre claim about Vladimir Putin’s intentions in Ukraine.
Trump, 79, met with Zelensky, 47, at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to discuss a peace deal to end the war with Russia. At a post-meeting press conference, the leaders said progress had been made but gave little indication that a deal was within reach.
At one point, Trump raised eyebrows—literally—as he delivered a string of praise for the Russian dictator, 73, with whom he had spoken for over two hours ahead of the meeting.
“Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said, prompting Zelensky to raise an eyebrow.
Trump then acknowledged, “It sounds a little strange,” as Zelensky grinned, nodded, and replied dryly, “Yeah.”
It appears this wasn’t the first time Zelensky had listened to Trump fawning over Putin on Sunday. Trump told reporters, “I was explaining to the president [Zelensky], President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding.”
Zelensky smiled on, appearing to restrain himself, as Trump continued making his fondness for Putin clear while glossing over the fact that the dictator started the war by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump implied a shared bond with Putin stemming from the federal investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia.
“I got along with him very well despite the Russia Russia Russia hoax, which was a total hoax,” Trump said. “It was a total hoax as he knew and as I knew.”
He then blamed former President Joe Biden for causing the war, saying Putin “wasn’t going to do anything” about Ukraine until Biden made “a lot of really bad statements.”
Despite repeatedly claiming to be “on the side of peace,” Trump said he “understands” Putin’s opposition to a ceasefire sought by Ukraine.
“He feels that look, you know, they’re fighting and to stop, and if they have to start again, which is a possibility, he doesn’t want to be in that position—I understand that position,” Trump said.
Putin bombarded Ukraine with over 100 drones on Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day, killing at least seven civilians.
In response, GOP senators Thom Tillis, Jerry Moran, and John Barrasso, along with Democratic colleagues, offered a pointed reminder that Putin is a “ruthless murderer.”
Trump previously tried to bully Ukraine into accepting a U.S.-brokered deal favorable to Vladimir Putin. Sunday’s talks were intended to address security guarantees and possible territorial concessions.
Zelensky told reporters that the peace plan is “90 percent” complete, the same percentage he cited before the meeting.
When reached for comment, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Beast in a statement, “Someone needs to save the interns of the Daily Beast. They are clearly being forced to write utter nonsense, like attacking President Trump’s progress towards ending the Russia-Ukraine War, which will haunt them for the rest of their careers.”
