‘Shocking New Assertion’: Jake Tapper Floored By Trump Blaming Ukraine For Russia Invading Ukraine

CNN anchor Jake Tapper marveled at President Donald Trump’s “shocking new assertion” that Ukraine started the war, in which Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tapper reported on the Tuesday “meeting between U.S. and Russian officials, culminating with several agreements on starting negotiations to end Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine. Without Ukraine at the table. Listen to Trump’s shocking new assertion moments ago.” He then played part of Trump’s presser at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday evening:

I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well. But today I heard, well, we weren’t invited. Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.

“Ukraine should never have started the invasion of Ukraine. That’s an interesting comment. President Trump also casting doubt on where all the U.S. military aid to Ukraine has gone,” Tapper continued, playing another clip:

We have to equalize with Europe because Europe is giving us a given, a very much smaller percentage in that I think Europe has given 100 billion and we’ve given, let’s say, 300 plus. And it’s more important for them than it is for us. We have an ocean in between and they don’t. But where is all the money that’s been given? Where is it going? And nobody I’ve never seen an accounting of it.

Many in the MAGA movement have raised eyebrows over the years by blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion of its borders, which began in 2014. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) once went so far on Tucker Carlson’s show as to call it a “war against Russia in Ukraine.”

Tapper then turned to CNN’s Matthew Chance who was reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “And Matthew, those comments, by the way, that mean he does run the government. He’s allowed to get an accounting for that money if he wants. I’m guessing that’s not going to sit well with either leaders in Ukraine or Europe,” Tapper noted.

“No, I mean, look, I know a lot of people in Ukraine who are well, I mean, they’re freaking out right now about what’s going to come next for their country,” Chance responded, adding:

But this is yet again, President Trump pressing ahead with his determination to get a peace deal for Ukraine apparently as soon as possible, despite the alarm, the growing alarm inside Ukraine. And despite the consternation, frankly, of of America’s European allies who feel very much excluded, this, of course, these raciest comments coming as U.S. and Russian officials here in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, you know, did the you know, what was unthinkable even a month ago before Trump was inaugurated, basically meet face to face to discuss the resetting of relations, whether it’s political, economic or diplomatic, between Washington and Moscow.

Watch the clip above via CNN.