Trump admits Russia attacked Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump admitted on Feb. 21 that Russia launched the full-scale war by attacking Ukraine.

Earlier in the week, Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war, saying Kyiv "should have never started it" and instead should have "made a deal."

During an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump conceded that Russia, not Ukraine, was the aggressor.

"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let him attack," he said.

Trump said that President Volodymyr Zelensky and former U.S. President Joe Biden should have taken steps to prevent the full-scale invasion. In the same interview, Trump claimed that Zelensky was not important to future peace negotiations.

The U.S. did not invite Zelensky or any Ukrainians to participate in talks between Russian and American officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. In the interview, Trump claimed there was no reason to invite Zelensky "because he did such a bad job in negotiating so far."

Trump has used increasingly hostile rhetoric towards Zelensky in recent days, calling him a dictator and accusing him of being partly to blame for Russia's attacks.

Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.