Donald Trump Jr. has voiced concerns over alleged Ukrainian links to a suspect in the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, raising questions about foreign awareness of the plot prior to its exposure. In a recent post on the social media platform X, Trump Jr. criticized Ukrainian authorities for failing to inform the U.S. about a man accused of attempting to buy military-grade weapons allegedly intended for use against the former president.
His remarks followed a report by Newsweek that cited new details revealed in a Florida court filing, which states that Ryan Wesley Ruth—currently in U.S. federal detention—sought to obtain a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a Stinger missile in the weeks leading up to his arrest. The documents suggest Ruth was in contact with an individual claiming to have access to Ukrainian arms. In a reportedly encrypted conversation, Ruth allegedly said, “Send me an RPG or Stinger and I’ll see what I can do. Trump is not good for Ukraine.”
Officials from Ukraine have confirmed that Ruth made multiple attempts to join their armed forces, but none of his applications received acceptance. According to Kyiv, Ruth had expressed public support for Ukraine’s war effort but had no formal ties to any military unit. Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told reporters at a press conference that there is no proof that Ruth’s actions were connected to the Ukrainian government. “We urge everyone to refrain from artificially linking the suspect’s actions to Ukraine,” he said.
The case has attracted renewed scrutiny due to its connection to the July 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which marked the first attempt on Trump’s life during the campaign season. The incident resulted in one death and several injuries, although Trump survived with only a minor wound. Ruth apprehended the second attempt near Mar-a-Lago in December 2024.
Though U.S. authorities have not confirmed whether the weapons Ruth sought were ever obtained, or if the contact he communicated with had real access to them, the nature of the conversation has added complexity to a politically sensitive case. Ukrainian officials maintain that the suspect acted alone and that his alleged plans should not be used to draw conclusions about Kyiv’s role in the matter.
