Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume was visibly stunned by Donald Trump’s latest remarks on Ukraine, where the president downplayed Vladimir Putin’s invasion while blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for stalled peace efforts.
Appearing on Special Report with Bret Baier Wednesday night, Hume was asked about a new Truth Social post from Trump. In it, Trump claimed that Zelensky has “no cards to play” against Putin. Baier then aired a clip of Trump saying it’s been “harder” to deal with Zelensky than Putin.
That comment left Hume scratching his head.
“He keeps pounding Zelensky and saying it’s harder to deal with him than it is with Putin,” Hume said. “Putin, so far as I can tell, hasn’t agreed to much of anything except yes, he’d love to annex Crimea, which is part of the proposal that’s before him now. That’s no concession. All that is, is taking a gain. Zelensky resists that because Crimea, up until the Russians invaded it 10 years or so ago, was part of Ukraine. So, I’m not exactly sure what the president’s talking about when he says that Zelensky has been more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
Hume’s blunt assessment exposed the growing confusion — even among Trump’s usual media allies — about the president’s repeated praise for Putin and hostility toward Zelensky. Trump has long claimed he could end the war “in 24 hours,” but nearly 100 days into his administration, the conflict grinds on with no resolution in sight.
Just last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the U.S. may have to “move on” if peace talks remain stalled. The White House also criticized Zelensky for rejecting Russia’s demands.
Speaking on Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Zelensky for “trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press.” She added, “The president’s national security team, his advisers, has exuded significant time, energy, and effort to try to bring this war to an end. The American taxpayer has funded billions of dollars in this effort. And enough is enough. The president’s frustrated. His patience is running very thin.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s praise for Putin and harsh stance toward Ukraine continue to raise eyebrows — even within Fox News.
Watch Trump’s remarks and Brit Hume’s response in the clips below.
Trump says it’s been HARDER to deal with Zelensky than with Putin
'But that's ok, it's alright' he adds like he doesn't really mean it
Also confident 'Russia is ready' for peace https://t.co/t4tavlejNn pic.twitter.com/JikyU26GEq
— RT (@RT_com) April 23, 2025
Hume: He keeps pounding Zelenskyy and saying it's harder to deal with him than it is with Putin. Putin, so far as I can tell, hasn't agreed to much of anything except yes, he would love to annex crimea which is part of the proposal that's before him now. That's no concession.… pic.twitter.com/kBh7ljqByt
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 23, 2025
