Trump blames Zelenskyy for Ukraine war, calls him 'grossly incompetent'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, holding him responsible for the prolonged Ukraine-Russia conflict. Trump labeled Zelenskyy a "grossly incompetent" leader and accused him of failing to negotiate peace when the war began in 2022.

Trump’s comments followed Zelenskyy’s frustration over Ukraine’s exclusion from the recent US-Russia peace talks in Riyadh. The high-profile discussions, attended by American and Russian officials, aimed to explore diplomatic solutions to end the ongoing war. However, Ukraine was not invited, leading Zelenskyy to strongly oppose any agreements made without Kyiv’s participation.

Addressing Ukraine’s concerns, Trump dismissed Zelenskyy’s complaints, stating that Ukraine should have resolved the conflict long ago. “Today I heard, 'Oh, we weren’t invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," Trump remarked. His statement suggested that Ukraine had missed opportunities to settle earlier.

Amid these developments, Trump hinted at a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks as part of efforts to bring an end to the war. He had previously claimed to be in direct contact with both Putin and Zelenskyy and insisted that he could broker peace.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that no official date had been set for a Trump-Putin meeting. He reassured reporters that while Ukraine and its European allies would be kept informed, Russia’s participation in peace talks was essential.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce further emphasized that the discussions in Riyadh aimed to assess Russia’s willingness to negotiate. The US government is reportedly exploring whether a structured diplomatic process can begin, despite Ukraine’s opposition to talks excluding Kyiv.