Ukraine says would-be Trump assassin had delusional ideas about supporting countrys fight against Russia as it emerges Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was rejected by Kyivs forces due to inexperience and age
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump, allegedly carried out by a suspect who had travelled to Ukraine to support the war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump, allegedly carried out by a suspect who had travelled to Ukraine to support the war effort.
Its good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world, Zelensky wrote on X, addressing his best wishes to Trump and his family.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after US Secret Service agents opened fire on a gunman carrying an AK-47 style rifle near the boundary of Trumps Florida golf course where the former president was playing golf on Sunday. The incident took place exactly two months after a separate assassination attempt against Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh had previously expressed support for Ukraines fight against the Russian invasion, and had even travelled to the war-torn country in 2022, telling Newsweek Romania in a newly resurfaced interview that the conflict with Russia was a simple case of good versus evil.
But Ukrainian officials have distanced themselves from Routh.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky took to X to condemn yesterdays attempted attack on Trump as it has emerged that the would-be shooter Ryan Wesley Routh had travelled to Ukraine in 2022
Ryan Wesley Routh holds up a banner during a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday April 30, 2022
Ryan Wesley Routh pays tribute to foreign citizens killed during Russia-Ukraine war in a central square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022
An unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian official told AFP: He did not serve here and has no ties to state structures, thats for sure. He entered Ukraine as a nobody, just a supporter, there are many people like this.
According to The Telegraph, Routh was reportedly rejected from the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine given his lack of military experience.
Additionally, The Guardian reported that Ukraines foreign legion described Rouths ideas surrounding the conflict delusional.
Speaking about his involvement in Ukraine to Newsweek Romania in 2022, Routh had said: The question as far as why Im here -- to me, a lot of the other conflicts are grey, but this conflict is definitely black and white, Routh told Newsweek.
My original goal was to come and fight. All of us, from the entire planet, should be motivated to support the Ukrainian army, but Im 56 years old and have no military experience, so Im not an ideal candidate to actually fight.
Routh had previously expressed support for Ukraines fight against the Russian invasion, and had even travelled to the war-torn country in 2022
So plan B was to come to Kyiv and promote the idea of many others coming to join the International Legion. We need thousands of people here to fight alongside the Ukrainians.
Routh had also outlined in a video posted online his plan to recruit fighters by moving Afghan soldiers, in some cases illegally from Pakistan and Iran, to Ukraine.
So dedicated was Routh to Ukraines war effort he even helped cut the grass at Independence Square in Kyiv using scissors.
The Kremlin on Monday said that a presumed assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a sign that the US election campaign was intensifying.
We can see how tense the situation is there, including between political rivals - the political fight is intensifying, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
We are watching it closely, but we have never interfered in this in any way and we are not interfering now.
