Trump: Zelensky did nothing to help the US in the war with Iran

US President Donald Trump said on Friday in an interview with MS NOW television that Ukraine “did nothing” to help the US in the war with Iran, and he considered the statements of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an image-building move. He also again criticized NATO allies.

The American leader allegedly commented on Ukraine's help in the fight against Iranian drones in this way in an interview with MS NOW presenter Stephanie Ruhle, who reported on the conversation with Trump on air.

– I asked about Ukraine's help and support, and he (Trump – PAP) replied: “They (Ukrainian side – PAP) did nothing. Everything that Zelensky said about what Ukraine did to help us, they do it only for political and image purposes. They did nothing,” the journalist reported. She added that Trump also criticized the Ukrainian president, claiming that “Zelensky is more difficult to cooperate with than (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin.”

According to Kiev, Ukraine has deployed its drone intercept units in five Middle Eastern countries, and Zelensky stated that the US asked him for help in connection with the war with Iran. He also said that last year he proposed to the US to conclude an agreement on interceptor drones.

In an interview with MS NOW, Trump also again criticized NATO countries for refusing to send ships to the operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by Iran. He called the alliance a “paper tiger” and claimed that Putin was not afraid of Europe or European allies.

Ruhle assessed that “(Trump – PAP) expressed more trust in Putin than in any of our European allies.”

The US president repeated his criticism of NATO in a telephone interview with Fox News. He also praised Japan again, assessing it as a better ally than NATO countries. Asked whether Japan had assured the US of military support, given that 90 percent its oil is imported through Hormuz, Trump responded that Japan has constitutional limits but “will be on our side if we need it.”

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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