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Trump makes baseless claim Kyiv is ‘militarily defeated’ after phone call with …
Reuters
Donald Trump has come in for criticism on social media after appearing to completely mix up Ukraine and Iran while speaking to press at the White House.
The president was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office while joined by the Artemis II lunar mission crew in a rambling address.
Speaking about everything from UFOs to his recent call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, he discussed both the war with Iran and the Russian war with Ukraine.
“I talked about Ukraine, and I talked a little bit about Iran. I talked about few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine, and we had a very good conversation. I think we're going to come up with a solution relatively quickly,” he said Wednesday.
Trump said Putin would “like to be involved” with resolving Iran’s possession of enriched uranium — something the United States opposes — and remarked that he’d told Putin in turn that he’d prefer he be “involved with ending the war with Ukraine.”
“He doesn't want to see them have a nuclear weapon either. But I had a long talk with President Putin. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire. And I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with that,” Trump said.
“Which war would end first? I don't know. Maybe they're on a similar timetable."
However, it was Trump’s blunder of mixing up Iran and Ukraine that raised eyebrows on social media.
Trump repeated his oft-used comments that Tehran is “defeated". He then said: "I think Ukraine, militarily, they’re defeated. They had 159 ships. Every ship is underwater. Every one of their planes has been shot down."
Many claiming that he actually meant to be referring to Iran on social media.
One wrote: "Sleepy Don likely meant Iran."
Trump: “Ukraine, militarily, they're defeated. You wouldn't know that by reading the fake news."
"Trump doesn’t know the difference between Ukraine and Iran.
"We are so screwed," another said.
"Yes, he mixed up Iran and Ukraine. He really did," one more wrote.
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