Levin defends Zelensky, Ukraine amid sharp words from Trump

Conservative pundit Mark Levin of Fox News on Wednesday sought to defend Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has come under days of criticism from President Trump over the Ukraine war.

Levin said Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, is to blame for the war and defended its president and Parliament.

“The [Ukrainian] Parliament — with all parties in the Parliament — support what he’s doing. They’re trying to survive," Levin said on his Wednesday broadcast.

"Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine."

"Elections have consequences, so be it. But I want to make sure the facts are on the table and you, the American people, draw your own conclusion,” he continued.

"MAGA doesn’t support Putin," Levin added.

Levin's public remarks are notable given Trump's repeated criticisms of Ukraine and Zelensky, and the relative silence to that criticism from Republicans and conservatives, who have sought to avoid any criticism of the new president.

Trump has blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, even though Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after occupying and annexing the Crimea region in 2014. Russia, which is widely seen as the instigator of the conflict, also supported armed groups in eastern Ukraine battling the government ahead of its invasion.

Trump campaigned on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, arguing it never would have started if he had been president and decrying the continued bloodshed.

On Friday, after Levin's remarks, he said Zelensky should not be a part of meetings with Russia because it would be harder to get a deal.

Earlier, Trump had accused Zelensky of taking advantage of the United States and decried his “terrible job” leading his war-torn country.

The Ukrainian leader responded to those earlier comments by saying Trump “lives in this disinformation space.”

Some signals from Trump's team have been more favorable toward Zelensky.

On Friday, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia called Ukrainian President Zelensky an “embattled and courageous leader” following his meetings in Kyiv on Friday.

“A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine. Extensive and positive discussions with @ZelenskyyUa, the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team,” the envoy, Keith Kellogg, posted Friday morning on the social platform X.

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