Trump Blasted From Right And Left Over Latest Screed Attacking Zelensky: ‘A Russian Propagandist’s Dream’

Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump sparked an avalanche of criticism on Wednesday when he accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being a “dictator without elections” who has “done a terrible job.”

Trump posted his angry screed on Truth Social, following Zelesnky publicly rebuffing the president for claiming Ukraine “started” the Russian invasion on Tuesday.

Trump’s statement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Russian counterpart in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war. Talks that Ukraine’s leadership was not a part of, which has led to fears that Russia and the U.S. will divide up the territory and exploit its resources.

CNN’s Manu Raju reported on the reaction on Capitol Hill, saying, “As Trump blames Ukraine for starting war, a number of GOP senators are pushing back.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Raju, “Make no mistake about it, that invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin in a calculation to go through Ukraine and not stop there, to go through Moldova, to go through the Balkans, to ultimately go to the Baltic states and send the signal to China that now is the time that they can take action in the South China Sea. That’s what this is about, and that’s what we as members have to communicate.”

Conservative commentator David French shared Trump’s screed and replied, “It’s not just that Trump has a flawed strategic vision (lots of presidents have had flawed strategies), it’s also that he’s full of malice and spite towards Ukraine. So he will lie and lie and lie. This is a Russian propagandist’s dream.”

David Frum wrote, “Neville Chamberlain, to do him justice, never amplified under his own byline Hitler’s propaganda against the Czechs.”

“I genuinely don’t think Putin could have even imagined Trump falling into his lap on Ukraine quite so hard, and so fast, as he has in the last week,” wrote Max Seddon, the Financial Times’s Moscow bureau chief.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) added, “Trump and his American oligarchs are now openly aligning themselves with Putin and his Russian oligarchs. This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions.”

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor, added, “Trump’s characterizations of Zelensky and Ukraine are some of the most shameful remarks ever made by a US President. Our support of Ukraine has never been about charity, our way of life at home depends on our strength abroad.”

Below are some more reactions:

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