India, Feb. 19 -- United States President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for its war with Russia, which is nearing its third anniversary, adding that Kyiv should have struck a deal before the war erupted in 2022.

During a press conference held at his Florida residence, Trump said that the war should never have started and that Kyiv "could have made a deal."

Trump's remarks came after the US and Russia held a high-level meeting in which they discussed putting an end to the Ukraine war. In the meeting, both parties decided to build a high-level team that will work towards bringing peace to Ukraine.

However, Kyiv was excluded from the meeting held in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that the country would no...