Former US President Donald Trump blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for instigating the war with Russia on Thursday, a remark that does not bode well for future US support for Ukraine if he is victorious. 

The former Republican president has frequently criticized Zelensky during his campaign, calling him "the greatest salesman on Earth" for successfully soliciting billions in US military aid since the war began.

Trump has criticized the Ukrainian leader for not pursuing peace with Moscow, suggesting that Ukraine might need to give up some territory to reach a peace agreement—an idea Kiev views as unacceptable.

On Thursday's episode of the PBD Podcast with Patrick Bet-David, Trump claimed  Zelensky was not only responsible for failing to end the war but also for instigating it.

He expressed that nevertheless he still feels "very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. The war's a loser."

Zelensky's 'victory plan'

Zelensky announced his long-awaited "victory plan" on Wednesday to end the war with Russia, rejecting any territorial compromises and seeking additional Western support, including an invitation to join NATO.

Trump's recent comments indicate he may aim to reduce aid to Ukraine if he wins against Vice President Kamala Harris, who has committed to continue support for Ukraine. 

Trump has claimed he could resolve the conflict before taking office in January, but he hasn't specified how.

Zelensky has stressed that "Russia must lose the war against Ukraine. And this does not mean a freeze (in fighting) and it does not mean any trade in Ukraine's territory or sovereignty."

The top priority in the five-part plan, according to Zelensky, is "an invitation to NATO, now," alleging that Moscow has been compromising European security for decades due to Kiev's lack of membership.

He also urged Ukraine's Western allies to remove restrictions on the use of long-range missiles, enabling Kiev to strike Russian territory.

Zelensky's plan recipe for direct Russia-NATO collision: Kremlin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pointed out on Thursday that the core of Zelensky's "peace plan" is to formalize NATO's direct involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

"He kind of says -- yes, guys, you participated before, but like unofficially. Now let's make it official, let's have NATO here," said the Russian spokesperson.

"It's short-sighted, reckless, illogical in his situation."

Peskov described Zelensky's initiative a “plan for further escalation than peace" aimed at "bringing the situation to the edge of the Russia-NATO collision."

Commenting on the West's reaction to the Ukrainian President's plan, Peskov said it seemed clear Western countries were not pleased with the settlement plan.

Kiev is under immense pressure to create an exit strategy as Ukrainian forces suffer heavy casualties and Moscow increases its gains.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova revealed that the plan might cause further problems for Ukraine and that Zelensky "is pushing NATO members towards a direct conflict with our country."