The Ukrainian leader has recently renewed his call for Washington to supply air defense systems
US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC. April 14, 2025. © Getty Images / Win McNamee
Ukraine’s Zelensky should never have started a war with Russia, US President Donald Trump has said.
In a press conference alongside El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump commented on Zelensky’s recent offer to finance $15 billion worth of Patriot air defense batteries with the aid of Kiev’s European backers.
“He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” the US presided noted.
“When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war,” he said of Zelensky. “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”