President Donald Trump said Saturday that 25,000 people were killed last month in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and that 32,000 died the month before that.
“Last month, 25,000 people died in the Ukraine-Russia war, okay? 25,000,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn.
“The month before that, 32,000 people died … mostly soldiers, 97% soldiers. But whether they’re soldiers or civilians, think of it: 32,000. Two months ago, 33,000 people; this month, 25,000 people died. What a shame,” he added.
Trump did not cite a source for the figures, and they have not been independently verified. For comparison, the Center for Strategic & International Studies has estimated that Russia alone has lost as many as 450,000 soldiers in total since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump also said he wants the war brought to an end soon and that he has recently spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I spoke to him a lot, and he’s going along and Putin’s going along. And someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, maybe before the heavy winter, they’ll make a deal,” Trump said.
He said he has pressed Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I agreed with Zelenskyy that we talked about a lot of different subjects, and many of those subjects, very strong agreement. But you know what I want him to do? Make a deal. I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.”
The comments came a day after Zelenskyy announced that Trump had agreed to let Ukraine license and produce U.S. Patriot missile interceptors — a shift from Trump’s previous hesitation on the matter.
“There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses. At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Friday post.
The White House has been contacted for further comment on Trump’s casualty figures.
