“That Nation Will Be Crushed Very Shortly” — Trump Insists He Is “Saving” Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes he is “saving” Ukraine from collapse, even as he declined to directly commit to supplying additional weapons to Kyiv during an interview with The Atlantic published April 28.

In a conversation with Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, Trump said:

I think I’m saving that nation,” referring to Ukraine. “I think that nation will be crushed very shortly. It’s a big war machine… I think I’m doing a great service to Ukraine. I believe that.

Trump’s remarks come as his administration threatens to withdraw from ongoing peace negotiations if talks fail to produce results within the coming days.

Pressed on the perception that Ukrainians may not share his view, Trump reiterated his long-standing claim that Russia’s full-scale invasion would not have occurred had he won the 2020 U.S. presidential election—a refrain he often uses when questioned about his Ukraine policy.

“We’ll have to see what happens over the next period of pretty much a week. We’re down to final strokes,” Trump said, adding:

This is Biden’s war. I’m not gonna get saddled — I don’t wanna be saddled with it.

While asserting he is “on Ukraine’s side,” Trump distinguished his support for the country from his strained relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He referenced a previous confrontation with Zelensky in the Oval Office in February.

The interview took place two days before Trump and Zelensky met briefly at the Vatican following the funeral of the late Pope Francis. Both sides later described the encounter as constructive.

Trump subsequently criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for ongoing strikes on Ukrainian cities.

When asked whether further escalation by Moscow would prompt the U.S. to supply additional military aid, Trump avoided a direct answer. Instead, he suggested that “weapons” could come in non-military forms, including sanctions and banking restrictions.

“Doesn’t have to be weapons,” Trump said.

There are many forms of weapons. Doesn’t have to be weapons with bullets. It can be weapons with sanctions. It can be weapons with banking.

While Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher sanctions against Russia, his administration has yet to implement new penalties.