President Donald Trump of the United States reversed his position on Friday, acknowledging that Russia had invaded Ukraine, while also stating that Kyiv was set to sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the ongoing war.
Trump had earlier sparked controversy on Tuesday when he claimed that Ukraine should never have started the war three years ago, drawing criticism both domestically and internationally.
However, speaking in an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, the US president admitted that Russia had indeed invaded Ukraine on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump said.
He further stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and then-US President Joe Biden should have taken preventive measures to avert the invasion.
Later in the interview, Trump expressed optimism about a forthcoming minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine.
“We’re signing an agreement, hopefully in the next fairly short period of time,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy confirmed separately on Friday that Ukrainian and US teams were actively working on drafting the agreement.
Trump had previously denounced Zelensky as a dictator on Wednesday, warning that he must act swiftly to secure peace with Russia, which launched its invasion nearly three years ago, or risk losing his country.
