LOC21:27
18:27 GMT
US President Donald J. Trump
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- US President Donald J. Trump lashed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyyand other European leaders for their lukewarm response to his plan for peace in Ukraine.
In an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday, he denounced Europe as a "decaying" group of nations led by "weak" people in, belittling the traditional US allies for failing to control migration and end the Russia-Ukraine war.
President Trump signaled that he would endorse European political candidates aligned with his own vision for the continent.
"I think they're weak. But I also think that they want to be so politically correct.
"I think they don't know what to do," he added. "Europe doesn't know what to do," he said.
He said he would continue to back favorite candidates in European elections, even at the risk of offending local sensitivities.
"I'd endorse. I've endorsed people, but I've endorsed people that a lot of Europeans don't like," Trump said, noting that he has endorsed Viktor Orban," the hard-right Hungarian prime minister Trump admires for his border control policies.
On Ukraine, Trump renewed his call for holding new presidential elections, saying, "They (the Ukrainians) haven't had an election in a long time."
"You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore," he added. (end)
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