President Donald Trump acknowledged on Friday that Russia “attacked” Ukraine in an interview with Fox News‘ Briane Kilmeade.
Appearing on Kilmeade’s radio show, Trump was pressed several times by the Fox News host regarding the controversy surrounding his remarks that Ukraine “should have never started” its war with Russia.
Why It Matters
Trump has openly questioned Zelensky’s leadership, arguing that the Ukrainian president has failed to make the necessary concessions to end the war. He also accused Ukraine of starting the war and claimed the Ukrainian leader had lost the support of his people.
The president also called Ukrainian Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” Zelensky fired back, calling Trump’s accusations Russian “disinformation.”
What To Know
In total, Kilmeade asked the president five-straight questions related to the exact blame for the Russia-Ukraine war. The president deflected, each time, before eventually saying, “Yes, Russia attacked, but there was no reason for him [Vladimir Putin] to attack.”
Seemingly meaning Kilmeade, Trump continued, “You could have talked him out of it. That war should have never happened. “Every time I say, ‘Oh, it’s not Russia’s fault,’ I always get slammed by the fake news. But I’m telling you, [Joe] Biden said the wrong things, [Volodymyr] Zelensky said the wrong things, and they got attacked, which was a bad thing to do. But Russia could have been talked out of it so easily.”
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after signing an executive order on expanding access to IVF at his Mar-a-Lago resort on February 18, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after signing an executive order on expanding access to IVF at his Mar-a-Lago resort on February 18, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.
AFP/Getty Images
The Fox News host also asked if Zelensky’s snub of the Trump administration’s proposed rare earth mineral deal contributed to his recent attacks against the Ukrainian leader.
On Tuesday, Zelensky rejected a U.S. proposal that would have granted the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, citing the deal’s failure to provide security guarantees. The agreement, presented by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a visit to Kyiv, sought to give American companies 50 percent ownership of Ukraine’s rare earth mineral deposits. The U.S. framed the deal as a way for Ukraine to “compensate” for past and future military aid.
Trump said Friday that Zelensky had “no cards” to bring to negotiations.
“So, I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it. And I’ve had it. And he then made a deal with us for rare earth and things. Then who knows what rare earth is worth, you know, but at least it’s something. And who knows what it’s worth? Who knows if they even have it?
Trump continued, “But we made a deal with rare earth and Secretary of Treasury — very good guy, actually went there, and they couldn’t even come close to getting a deal done. And frankly, I wish he didn’t go there, waste all of his time like that. But they couldn’t get close. They met, right, and when they wanted to get it closed, he was unable to meet them again. But so, it was just a wasted trip.”
Kilmeade replied to one of Trump’s deflections and asked, “But Mr. President, that’s all — that’s Vladimir Putin‘s fault, don’t you agree?”
Trump replied with a shot at Zelensky over his issues with upcoming the Russia-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia.
“I get tired of listening to it, I’ll tell you what. I’ve seen it enough. And then he complains that he’s not at a meeting that we’re having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate a peace. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years with a very, with a president who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He’s been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done. So, I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings to be honest with you. He’s been there for three years. He’s — he makes it very hard to make deals. But look what’s happened to his country, it’s been demolished.”
Update: 2/21/25, 12:04 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 12:34 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 12:41 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 2/21/25, 12:49 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.