On Sunday night, CBS’s 60 Minutes aired an interview featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who once again deplored the fact that US officials have been promoting Russian disinformation about the war between the two countries. By Monday morning, President Donald Trump proved his point once more.
Through a translator, Zelenskyy told 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley: “I believe, sadly, (that) Russian narratives are prevailing in the US.”
“How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war?” he continued. “This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America, on US politics and US politicians.”
Referring to Trump’s claim that Zelenskyy is a “dictator” and the now-infamous February sit-down in the Oval Office, during which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy and demanded he thank the United States for its support, Zelenskyy told Pelley through a translator: “It’s a shift in tone, a shift in reality..and I don’t want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me. First and foremost, we did not launch an attack [to start the war]. It seems to me that the Vice President is somehow justifying Putin’s actions.”
“How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors?” asks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
WATCH ⏱️ youtu.be/odFTqgm0984?…— 60 Minutes (@60minutes.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 12:40 PM
The comments appeared to trigger Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform on Sunday night to lambast CBS for airing the interview. “They did not one, but TWO, major stories on ‘TRUMP,’ one having to do with Ukraine, which I say is a War that would never have happened if the 2020 Election had not been RIGGED, in other words, if I were President and, the other story was having to do with Greenland, casting our Country, as led by me, falsely, inaccurately, and fraudulently,” Trump wrote. “I am so honored to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting.” (Trump is, indeed, suing the network and television show, alleging they deceptively edited an interview with former Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to make her look better; CBS has said the lawsuit is “without merit.”)
Trump went on to argue that CBS “should lose their license” and urged his Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, to “impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”
“CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” Trump concluded.
But for all his bluster, Trump managed to prove Zelenskyy’s point less than 24 hours after the CBS interview aired. In another early morning meltdown on Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the war is “Biden’s war, not mine,” adding, “President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin.”
Still, the facts remain: It was Russian President Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Russian forces have committed war crimes and likely crimes against humanity, according to Amnesty International. One of those alleged crimes includes kidnapping and deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, for which the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for both Putin and another Russian official in March 2023. Russia’s aggression has continued, with Ukrainian civilians among the victims. Earlier this month, Russia launched a missile at a site near a Ukrainian playground, killing 19 people, including nine children. On Sunday, two Russian missiles reportedly hit the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing 35 people and wounding 117 more, according to Ukrainian officials. Trump called that attack “terrible,” “a mistake,” and “a horrible thing” on Air Force One on Sunday, according to the White House Pool Report.
But by Monday, during remarks in the Oval Office alongside President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Trump had reverted to his pro-Russia talking points, repeating the false claim that Ukraine started the war with Russia. “He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” Trump said of Zelenskyy. “Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win the war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
Trump has fully turned on Zelenskyy: "He's always looking to purchase missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win a war. You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 14, 2025 at 11:56 AM
At another point during that meeting, Trump insulted Zelenskyy’s intelligence, stating, “The mistake was letting the war happen. If Biden were competent and if Zelensky were competent—and I don’t know that he is. We had a rough session with this guy over here,” Trump said, referring to the February Oval Office blowup. “He just kept asking for more and more.”
Trump also propped up Putin while also doubling down on the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen. “I went four years and Putin wouldn’t even bring it up. And as soon as the election was rigged, and I wasn’t here, that war started, there was no way that war should have been allowed to happen, and Biden should have stopped it,” he said. “And and you take a look at Putin. I’m not saying anybody’s an angel, but I will tell you I went four years and it wasn’t even a question. I told him, ‘don’t do it, you’re not going to do it.’”
Reporter: You mentioned last night that Russia's attack on Ukraine was a mistake— what is the is mistake?
Trump: The mistake was letting the war happen. If Biden were competent, and if Zelenskyy were competent— I don’t know that he is. pic.twitter.com/yhoHWWpiuQ
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 14, 2025
Let’s not forget, though, that for all of Trump’s claims that the war is not his problem, he promised he would end it within 24 hours if he was reelected. More than—checks notes—2,000 hours later, and the war is still raging while Trump spreads disinformation about who really started it.
This post has been syndicated from Mother Jones, where it was published under this address.