Donald Trump has declined to say Russia’s President Vladimir Putin started the Ukraine war, putting him again at loggerheads with the UK and other allies over the conflict.
The US President also denied the US was responsible for the disruption to Kyiv’s access to the vital Starlink satellite communications system, leaving the country exposed to attack, amid a spat with Washington.
Britain and most other Nato members have been clear in blaming and condemning the Kremlin for the Ukraine conflict, triggered by Mr Putin ordering the invasion of the neighbouring nation in 2022.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Brussels on Friday (Olivier Hoslet/ Pool/AP)
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But when asked whether he had forgotten that it was the Russian leader who started the war, Mr Trump did not respond directly and implied it was not straightforward.
He said: “I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details.”
He added: “But I don’t care anything except for one. I want that war ended.”
His comments, as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Georgia, came after he again rounded on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was “not a big fan” and claiming he was “more difficult to deal with than Putin”.
He previously suggested Ukraine needed a new leader and claimed Mr Putin wanted a peace deal more.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky, attending a summit in Brussels on Friday, signalled that he agreed with the suggestion he was being made a scapegoat by Mr Trump for soaring fuel prices driven by the Iran war, which was launched by the US and Israel in February.
Ahead of crucial stateside elections next month, the US president has increasingly sought to lay the blame on attacks by Ukraine on Russian refineries for the spike in energy costs, rather than the interruption to oil supplies in the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
During a visit to London earlier this week, Mr Zelensky had accused Mr Trump of betraying his country by limiting its use of US-made Starlink terminals which are vital for the Ukrainian military.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting (second from left) warned in Washington that if Moscow’s aggression was rewarded ‘the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent’ (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
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But speaking on Friday, the US president said: “We didn’t do that. We didn’t slow it down at all.”
The latest strain in relations came after Mr Trump struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, which critics at home and aboard warn will be used to fund Mr Putin’s war machine.
The president also, in an apparent unilateral move, declared Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities.
After initially respecting the ceasefire, Mr Zelensky abandoned the brief truce in the face of continued Russian attacks, drawing criticism from the American leader.
Mr Trump told the Newsmax media outlet: “All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that’s a disgrace.”
The row has raised the spectre of further reductions in US support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Speaking at the European Union meeting, Mr Zelensky thanked the bloc for its support and pointedly hailed its “real leaders”.
He later told a news conference: “This diesel deal will never be enough to offset the impact of the Strait of Hormuz on global markets. But it will put more money straight into Putin’s pocket to fund this war.”
He also said Mr Putin “does not want peace talks at the moment, in any form”.
Amid the renewed transatlantic tensions, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting sought to use his first visit to Washington DC in the role to “bring harmony” between the White House and Kyiv.
He also made the case for continuing American support for the embattled country, warning that if Moscow’s aggression was rewarded, “the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent”.