As devastating images of bloodied streets and burning buildings flooded out of Ukraine after a missile strike on Palm Sunday, Donald Trump dismissed it as a “mistake” and swiftly pointed the blame for the war at Joe Biden, not Vladimir Putin.
Trump downplayed the deadly Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, where at least 34 people were killed, including children, and 117 more were injured, according to Ukrainian officials. The airburst of cluster bombs hit just as people were headed to church and local festivals.
Instead of condemning Moscow, Trump offered no direct criticism of Vladimir Putin—and blamed former President Joe Biden.
“I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake,” Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One. “But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war’s a horrible thing.”
He did not call out Russia by name. He did not mention Putin. The only time he used the word “Russia” was to vaguely refer to the conflict as the “Russia-Ukraine situation.”
Trump quickly pivoted to himself and the 2020 election.
“If the election wasn’t rigged, we wouldn’t have had the war in Ukraine,” he said. “This country would have never allowed that war to have started if I were president.”
He claimed “millions of people are dead,” though official numbers are far lower. Estimates from Ukrainian and Russian losses suggest total deaths in the hundreds of thousands—not millions. Civilian deaths are estimated around 60,000, with over 19,500 children deported to Russia, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Asked to clarify if he really believed the strike was unintentional, Trump doubled down.
“They made a mistake—I believe it was—look you gotta ask them,” he said.
Then came another deflection: “This is Biden’s war. This is not my war.”
Trump never said Putin’s name. He never directly condemned the attack. He never called it what it was.
“That war would have never taken place,” Trump insisted. “But remember this: This is Biden’s war.”
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
When asked about yesterday’s Russian strike on Sumy, which killed at least 34 people and injured over 100, Trump said, “I think it was terrible, and I was told they made a mistake.”
Holy fuck, that’s the mistake!
He later went on to blame Biden for “allowing” Russia to invade pic.twitter.com/9pAXygXiZp
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) April 14, 2025
