Trump to Ukraine: ‘You cannot go to war with a country 10 times stronger’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump declared in a televised interview with Fox News that Ukraine should not have entered into a war against Russia, warning that Kyiv was facing a nation “10 times bigger and stronger” than itself. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump underscored his efforts to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the negotiating table, describing the conflict as “the toughest war” he has ever attempted to resolve.

“The whole thing is a mess. This was started by Joe Biden. Millions of people are dead, the country is blown to pieces—Ukraine—and it’s a shame,” Trump said, blaming his predecessor for what he called a preventable war.

During the interview, Trump confirmed that preparations are underway for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, a step he sees as essential before hosting a trilateral summit himself. “I thought I’d first let them meet. They haven’t been exactly best friends,” he remarked. “I called President Putin yesterday. I do have a good relationship, but it only matters if we get things done. Otherwise, I don’t care about the relationship.”

Trump expressed cautious optimism, noting that relations between Moscow and Kyiv might be improving: “Maybe they’re getting along a little bit better than I thought. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have set up the two meeting. I would have set up the three.”

The U.S. president reflected on his previous record in conflict resolution, claiming credit for peace deals in regions such as India and Pakistan, the Congo and Rwanda, and with Iran. “I solved seven wars. We ended seven wars. I thought this would be one of the easier ones, and this has turned out to be the toughest one,” he said.

Trump recalled how he prevented potential escalation between India and Pakistan by linking negotiations to trade. “That was going to be maybe a nuclear war if I let that go. And I did that through trade. I made a peace deal and many, many deals—six, actually seven,” he said.

Throughout the interview, Trump repeatedly faulted Democratic administrations for the origins of the war and the loss of Ukrainian territory. He pointed specifically to the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia under Barack Obama’s presidency.

“Crimea is the apple of Ukraine. It’s so beautiful. And Obama gave it away. Russia came in and took it like candy from a baby. That was Obama’s fault. They lost the heart and soul of Ukraine,” Trump stated.

He also criticized Biden’s military and financial assistance to Ukraine, alleging that his administration had spent $350 billion, while Europe contributed $100 billion. “If we had a normal, not even a great president, if we had a normal president, it wouldn’t have happened. But we had a guy that didn’t have a clue,” Trump said.

On the issue of Ukraine’s future security, Trump asserted that while NATO membership for Kyiv is impossible, European powers were prepared to provide NATO-like protections. “It can’t be NATO, because that’s just not something that would ever, ever happen. But there’ll be some form of security,” he explained.

Trump insisted that Ukraine would regain stability and land through negotiations, but acknowledged the military imbalance: “This was a war that should have never started. You don’t take on a nation that’s 10 times your size.”

Highlighting the human cost, Trump claimed that Ukraine is losing between “five to seven thousand people a week” in the war. He criticized suggestions that negotiations be delayed. “A month or two? You’re going to have another forty thousand people dead in a month or two. You have to do it tonight,” he said, stressing that he had already called Putin to expedite a meeting with Zelensky.

Trump argued that prolonging talks would only increase unnecessary loss of life. “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, that’s a pretty good thing. I want to end it. I want to end it,” he emphasized.

Trump revealed that he spoke privately with Putin following his Oval Office meeting with world leaders, which included representatives from the European Union and NATO. He said Putin had not spoken with US or European officials for years under the Biden administration.

“Despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, which was truly a very dangerous thing for our country, I maintained a very good relationship [with Putin]. There’s a warmth there that you can’t fake,” Trump explained.

Trump said European leaders, gathered in Washington this week, shared his desire to end the war and secure stability for the continent. “They are very good leaders of their countries, and they want to get back to leading their country. They’re right there. We have an ocean separating us, but they don’t,” he said, stressing their readiness to put security forces on the ground.

The former president also disclosed that under his administration, Ukraine agreed to trade rare earth minerals in exchange for security guarantees, claiming this deal outweighed financial assistance provided under Biden.

“They have great rare earth, among the best in the world. We took much more than the 350 billion that Biden gave away. And they were great about it,” Trump said, adding that US contributions now flow through NATO, which pays Washington for military equipment.

When asked about the sustainability of any future peace deal, Trump said the key is ensuring capable leadership after his term. “All you can do is make sure you get a good president, not one of these wackos,” he stated, while expressing confidence in what he called a strong Republican “bench.”

European leaders, he noted, had expressed concern about what might happen if a successor reversed agreements. Trump responded by pointing to his trade and economic record, citing $17 trillion in investments committed to the United States.

“Life is full of nasty little surprises, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. We have a great bench, and I think you’re going to get great people in government,” Trump concluded.