"For years, Europeans have been telling us: 'We want to attack Russia'." "Ukraine is more corrupt than Russia". Ukrainians have spent aid on weapons "on Bugattis and Ferraris." The United States "needs more partners like Qatar and fewer like the European Union." Thanks to sanctions, "Russia is creating a huge industrial base." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "is a hero of the left" and a thief who has been "stealing, bribing, and corrupt for years, and will continue to steal."
These were not the words of Vladimir Putin, but of the son of the President of the United States, Donald Trump Jr., this Sunday at the Doha Forum, an international conference held every December in the Emirate of Qatar. At the event, Don Jr., as he is colloquially known, stated, "I don't know if my father will leave Ukraine. My father is unpredictable."
Don Jr. holds no public office. But that does not mean he lacks power in the Trump administration. His situation is similar to that of his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also has no institutional responsibilities. He is just a private citizen, a billionaire largely due to a $2 billion injection into his Affinity Partners fund from the Saudi Arabian government. However, this has not stopped Kushner from being one of the two negotiators for the US peace agreement for Ukraine.
Don Jr. is an investor in the 1789 fund, whose companies have received over 700 million euros in grants since his father took office, according to Techcrunch and the Financial Times, and as his interviewer in Doha mentioned, he is "a key figure in articulating the Trump administration's message in the Ukraine peace plan."
Trump Jr.'s manner of speaking in Doha about the United States in the first person clearly indicates his influence. And his message is very harsh towards Ukraine... and Europe. The son of the US Head of State and Government began by saying, "I want more partners like Qatar, and fewer like the European Union", comparing Qatar's stance in the Gaza war with that of the European Union and the UK in Ukraine.
In the former case, the emirate, which hosts part of the leadership of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, leading to Doha being bombed by Israel in September, facilitated negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to Trump, Qatar had shown "real leadership" by allowing Hamas leaders to participate in the talks. This indirectly implies that Europe is hindering peace in Ukraine.
Trump's eldest son practically treated the EU as an aggressor when he said, "For years, Europeans have been telling us: 'We want to attack Russia,' but when it comes to paying, let the United States do it." Europe has provided more aid to Ukraine than the US. Furthermore, Washington is not providing military aid to Kiev for free but selling it to Europe through the PURL program, which Trump himself promoted last summer.
Trump Jr. also strongly criticized the words of the EU's Foreign and Security Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas, the day before at the same Doha Forum. "What is Europe's idea, being on the border [with Ukraine], and having much more at stake in this? 'Well... our plan is to win with the economy,' she said, summarizing Kallas's words. 'And when asked how she will do that, she replied: 'We will wait for Russia to collapse.' Well, that's not a plan," Trump said.
In true Trump fashion, he attacked Ukraine with an anecdote, similar to the one about Haitian immigrants supposedly eating dogs and cats in Ohio during the 2024 election campaign. "This summer, I went on vacation with my beautiful girlfriend Bettina to Monaco, and 50% of the 'supercars' - the 'Bugattis,' the 'Ferraris' - had Ukrainian license plates. Where did that come from? I was in Ukraine 20 years ago, and it wasn't a luxury wonderland. The rich left [due to the war], leaving the peasant class to fight, and the leaders now have no incentive to end the war as long as the money keeps flowing. It's the same as what happened in Russia. The oligarchs' children are not fighting, and Putin is using the war to rebuild his industrial base. Sanctions have only served to raise oil prices."
The criticisms from Trump's son were all directed at Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he said "was much more corrupt than Russia, according to the US government itself. But then came the war, and as [Zelensky] is one of the great marketing geniuses of our time, he became a god, especially for the left."
The attacks by the eldest son of the US Head of State and Government on Ukraine were rather personal, such as when he said, "It seems that Zelensky can do no wrong, after years of theft, years of bribes and corruption, known to everyone in this room." Don Jr. concluded by saying, "Zelensky will not win another election, and will continue to steal." The co-founder of 1789, Omeed Malik, who also participated in the discussion, went as far as to defend the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, something that Donald Trump senior also did during his first term as president.