The US president’s son has questioned why Kiev did not tell Washington about Ryan Routh’s weapons request
Donald Trump Jr. has criticized Kiev for failing to alert the US authorities about a man who reportedly tried to obtain military weapons from Ukrainian contacts to assassinate his father during the 2024 presidential campaign.
In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Trump Jr. responded to recent revelations about Ryan Wesley Routh, a pro-Ukraine activist currently facing federal charges after being arrested near Donald Trump’s golf resort in Florida with a rifle in September.
According to newly surfaced court documents obtained by Fox News, Routh had allegedly sought to acquire heavy weaponry from someone he believed had access to Ukraine’s military arsenal in order to kill the then-presidential candidate.
“If you think it’s bad that Ukraine never said thank you for everything the United States has done for them,” Trump Jr. wrote on X, “the fact that they seemingly did not tell us that this sociopath literally tried to buy arms from them to assassinate my father seems like a much bigger deal. Wonder why?!?”
Routh, a convicted felon, had attempted to enlist in the Ukrainian military in 2022. Though unsuccessful, he remained engaged in the conflict in the region, reportedly working to recruit ex-Afghan soldiers to fight on Ukraine’s behalf, according to a Justice Department filing with the Florida Southern District Court.
In August 2024, prosecutors say Routh used an encrypted messaging app to reach out to an individual he believed to be a Ukrainian weapons supplier. He allegedly requested a Russian RPG grenade launcher and a US-made Stinger missile, stating explicitly why he needed the weapons. “I need the equipment so that Trump don’t [sic] get elected,” one message read.
Routh also insisted that obtaining such arms wouldn’t be difficult due to the chaos of war, adding that “one missing would not be noticed.”
The court filing also reportedly notes that Routh never received the weapons he sought. He was arrested shortly afterward near Mar-a-Lago and remains in custody. His trial is scheduled for September, and he faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
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