President Donald Trump amplified an attack against his Russian counterpart on Wednesday.
Trump reposted an editorial from the New York Post that declares "Russia is standing in the way of peace." It was published at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin had accused the Ukrainians of attempting to bomb his private residence this week, a claim that the Ukrainians have forcefully denied.
"It’s rich that Putin, who has waged a brutal war for nearly four years, believes that any violence in his vicinity merits special outrage," the editorial reads in part. "After all, Russia launched 131 drones on Christmas at Kyiv and other cities, killing seven civilians. Civilians. The Kremlin specifically targets apartment buildings and power plants to punish the ordinary people of Ukraine. The Russians kidnap children. They torture and execute prisoners. Further, Moscow has tried repeatedly to assassinate Zelensky. Any attack on Putin is more than justified."
Trump held peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week in an effort to bring the grinding, four-year-long war in Ukraine to an end. The president seemed optimistic about ending the war, and agreed to provide some security assistance to Ukraine, although it remains unclear what that support would look like.
"Putin’s entire war is a lie, a 'special military operation' to 'de-Nazify' a country that isn’t run by Nazis," the editorial continued. "In this case, common sense points to an invented or embellished narrative to give Russia an excuse to reject Trump’s progress."
"Just as he did in Alaska, Putin was offered peace and instead spat in America’s eye," it added. "Vladimir Putin is not an honest broker who can see reason, nor a business opportunity to be unlocked."
