Trump Falsely Suggests Ukraine Is to Blame for the War: What to Know

In comments that stunned America’s allies in Europe and angered Ukraine’s government, President Trump on Tuesday appeared to blame Ukraine’s leaders for Russia’s invasion.He also suggested that they do not deserve a seat at the table for the peace talks that he has initiated with President Vladimir V.Putin of Russia.“You should have never started it,” Mr.

Trump said, referring to Ukraine’s leaders.“You could have made a deal.” He followed up on Wednesday in a post on social media, calling Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator without elections" and saying he had “done a terrible job” in office.Here’s a look at how the war began, the state of the peace talks and Ukraine’s election record.What caused the war in Ukraine?There is no doubt that Russia started the war by invading Ukraine.

Russian troops stormed over the border almost exactly three years ago, with the explicit aim of toppling the pro-Western government of Mr.Zelensky in Kyiv, the capital.

Russia’s military attacked from the east and north, including from Belarus, as well as from the Russian-occupied southern province of Crimea.That attack started the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.Leaders around the world, including former President Joseph R.

Biden Jr., denounced Russia’s invasion as an act of unprovoked aggression against a sovereign state, and the U.N.General Assembly passed a resolution calling for Russia’s immediate withdrawal.

Since then, Russian firepower has leveled whole cities and killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe...