President Donald Trump offered a blunt assessment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, calling him "not a good guy for us to deal with" and saying that any settlement to end the war will not be reached with Zelensky at the table.
Speaking to reporters, Trump was asked about a report that Ukraine had resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries despite his request to stop.
"He's a not a good guy for us to deal with," Trump said. "Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars. Billions and billions of dollars."
Trump Says Zelensky Doesn't Want to Settle
When asked if he had lost faith in Zelensky, Trump replied, "Well, I think they're going to end up with a settlement of some kind. They're not going to do it with him. He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he isn't."
Trump added, "No, I'm not a big fan of Zelensky. They've destroyed that country."
Trump Blames Obama, Zelensky-Putin Hatred for War
The president traced the conflict back to the Obama administration. "That country, look, it really began with Barack Hussein Obama when they made them give up Crimea," Trump said. "Crimea is the most valuable part. By far, of Ukraine."
He also pointed to personal animosity between the two leaders. "Where it happened in a little bit more modern time is when Zelensky went to see Putin and they had a very bad meeting. And as you know, Putin hates Zelensky and Zelensky hates Putin. And when you have that kind of hatred, it's very hard to get something settled."
Trump reiterated his belief that the war would not have started if the 2020 election had not been rigged. "That's a war that should have never started. If the election weren't rigged, if the US election weren't rigged, that would have never happened. That war would have never happened."
Trump Says Zelensky More Difficult Than Putin
Asked whether the war would end before he leaves office, Trump said it should end soon, but suggested Zelensky is the bigger obstacle.
"I think they actually both would like to see it end. But I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with in Putin," Trump said.
