Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion, saying President Volodymyr Zelensky had failed in his duty to prevent military action.
Trump's stance sparked an immediate backlash, with critics accusing the 78-year-old former Republican president of being a "traitor" and an "idiot."
"Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen I've ever seen. Every time he comes, we give him $100 billion. Who else has gotten that kind of money in history?", Trump told the PBD Podcast.
"And that doesn't mean I don't want to help him, because I feel very bad for these people. He should never have let this war start."
Trump - who is running against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris - immediately went on to criticize President Joe Biden, accusing him of "instigating" the war in Ukraine.
The Trump campaign told AFP that the Republican was "clearly talking about Biden" and not Zelensky in his comment.
The United States is one of Ukraine's main backers and has given more than $64.1 billion in military aid to Kiev since the war began.
Although Kiev is a US ally and Moscow is considered an adversary, Trump highlighted his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a private meeting with Zelensky in September.
Trump has been held to account for withholding vital weapons to Ukraine after Russia's 2014 operations, unsuccessfully pressing Kiev to announce investigations into Biden, who was then his rival in the election.
The federal investigation found numerous ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, which was found to have interfered in the 2016 U.S. election in the Republican's favor.
"What a despicable traitor," the lobbying group Republicans Against Trump wrote on the social network X, along with footage from the podcast that featured Trump.
"He's an idiot, and the whole world is wondering why so many Americans don't see it," said national security analyst John Siffer, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. | BGNES
