Has US ties with Ukraine hit a new low? Donald Trump tells Zelenskyy he shouldn't have started war

The relations between the United States and Ukraine took a new turn, with US President Donald Trump blaming the war-torn country for its ongoing conflict with Russia. His remarks came after Zelenskyy slammed the US for holding talks with Russia in its absence, adding that Ukraine would not accept any deal that is inked without its participation.

In response to the Ukrainian leader, Trump said, “Today I heard, 'Oh, well, we weren't invited.' Well, you been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago.” 

Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have made a deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin in 2022, when the war broke out. He said the war should have never started and that Ukraine could have reached a truce.

This comes following a high-level meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia.

Rubio clarified that Ukraine is not being sidelines, adding that the US will engage and consult with Ukraine and the European Union. However, he pointed out that the Russia will be indispensable in the efforts to end the war.

Lavrov, on the other hand, said it will not agree to Ukraine entry into NATO. Earlier, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pointed out that Ukraine's NATO entry was unrealistic. He also suggested that Zelenskyy should not hope to take back the all the territory it lost to Russia.

Trump hinted that he might hold talks with Putin before next month, adding that Russia is willing to end the war. "Apart from Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, a lot of Koreans have been killed. We want to end it. It's a senseless war. It should have never happened," said the US President.