Reactions to Trump’s remarks about Ukraine have been strongly negative among Swedish political figures, and commentators featured on SVT, a government-funded news channel.
This is what Trump said that caused the adverse reactions:
“But today I heard: ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine. Well, we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating and where a country has been blown to smithereens. You got most of the cities are laying on their sides.”
“They have to find out where is the money going to. I believe President Zelenskyy said last week that he doesn’t know where half of the money is that we gave him. Well, we gave them, I believe, $350bn [£278bn], but let’s say it’s something less than that.”
”But where is all the money that’s been given? Where is it going? And I’ve never seen an accounting of it. We give hundreds of billions of dollars.”
The Swedish ”Christian Democrats” leader (KD), and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch described Trump’s claim—suggesting Ukraine initiated the war with Russia—as utterly outrageous, reflecting widespread incredulity and condemnation.
Similarly, Carl Bildt, a prominent figure and former Swedish politician, Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), and trustee of the U.S. Rand Corporation’s Board, labelled Trump’s statements as reckless, calling him a wild man in the White House and emphasizing the perceived irresponsibility and inaccuracy of the remarks.
SVT writes that ”Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Russian cronies have long accused Ukraine of being the driving force behind the war and claimed that the administration in Kiev are Nazis.”
”Putin could not have said it better. I think they are cheering in the Kremlin over this,” and “My thesis is that Putin said that to him,” says Bildt.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted in a quick take, suggested Trump lives in a bubble, implying a disconnect from reality in his views on the conflict.
Following a summit on Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s reaction was more measured but still underscored concern. While the specific article doesn’t quote him directly on Trump’s speech, the context suggests a focus on deteriorating security and the need for a unified response, indirectly highlighting tensions with Trump’s stance.
Collectively, these reactions paint a picture of alarm, frustration, and disbelief among key voices in Sweden and Ukraine, portraying Trump’s statements as outlandish and destabilizing amid an already tense geopolitical crisis.
Many people in Sweden attest that the Swedish media and political establishment collectively have developed a long-term Trump Derangement Syndrome that appears to be incurable.
Sources
- SVT: Carl Bildt om Trumps utspel: ”En vilde i Vita huset”
- SVT: Statsminister Ulf Kristersson efter toppmötet om Ukraina
- SVT: Oro i Ukraina efter Trumps uttalanden
- SVT: Busch om Trumps påstående om Ukraina: ”Fullkomligt hårresande”
- SVT: Zelenskyj: Trump lever i en bubbla
- The Guardian: Factchecking Donald Trump’s claims about the war in Ukraine
