President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should hold an election and could have settled the war with Russia "many times," in remarks circulated by the Rapid Response account on Sunday.
The president's comments were brief and direct.
"Well, I think he should have an election and he could have settled this thing many times and he should have an election and he can't raise the price of oil," Trump said. "He's done enough."
"This is a war that should have never happened. Ukraine Russia should have never happened about what President had never would have happened," he continued.
"But President Zelensky could have solved this war or he could have made a deal many times. I've been there many times."
The Rapid Response account paired the video with a written summary: "He should have an election... President Zelensky could've solved this war and he could've made a deal many times."
"A War That Should Have Never Happened"
Trump's emphasis fell on two points: elections in Ukraine and the possibility of a negotiated end to the fighting.
He returned to the election demand more than once in the span of a few seconds, saying Zelensky "should have an election" and "can't raise the price of oil."
The president closed his remarks by saying the war "should have never happened," adding his view that Zelensky "could have made a deal many times."
Trump did not describe the terms of such a deal in the remarks.
