Ukraine denies links to 'delusional' suspect in Trump assassination attempt

Kyiv on Monday denied links to a man accused of trying to assassinate former US President Donald Trump, after it emerged that the suspect was a supporter of Ukraine who had said he wanted to recruit foreign volunteers to fight there.

Trump was safe on Sunday after the Secret Service foiled what the FBI called the second apparent assassination attempt on the Republican candidate for president in two months, capturing a gunman who had brought a rifle to Trump's golf course.

Media interviews and social media posts showed that the reported suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine who had travelled there after Russia's 2022 attack.

Ukrainian officials said they had nothing to do with him and accused Moscow of seizing on the link for propaganda purposes. The Kremlin, for its part, implied there was a link between the assassination attempt and U.S. support for Kyiv, saying "playing with fire has its consequences".

The apparent attempt on Trump's life came just two months after he was grazed in the right ear when a gunman fired on him at a campaign rally. That shooter was killed in return fire by security agents.

Both incidents highlight the challenge of keeping presidential candidates safe in a febrile campaign, with just over seven weeks to go before the November 5 election.

"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!," Trump said on social media late on Sunday, thanking Secret Service and police for keeping him safe.

Trump's election opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, said on X: "Violence has no place in America."

President Joe Biden directed his team to ensure the Secret Service has the resources it needs to ensure Trump's safety.

Routh, of Hawaii, was widely identified in U.S. media as the suspect although he was not immediately named by law enforcement. Late on Sunday, Secret Service and Homeland Security agents searched a home in Greensboro, North Carolina, which a neighbour told Reuters had belonged to Routh.

Evidence of Routh's support for Ukraine quickly emerged after Sunday's incident, including footage of him in 2022 speaking to Newsweek Romania in Kyiv, where he had set up a tent with flags of countries representing volunteers who died in Ukraine.

He said he had aimed to help recruit foreign fighters, having been rejected as too old to volunteer himself.

"A lot of the other conflicts are grey but this conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil," Routh said, showing emotion as he pleaded to the camera in a shirt with American flag symbols.

"If the governments will not send their official military, then we, civilians, have to pick up the torch."

The New York Times reported that it had also interviewed Routh, in 2023, when Routh said he was trying to recruit former fighters from Afghanistan to bring them to Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said they had nothing to do with him.

Routh had "never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity," the unit which includes foreign volunteers for Ukrainian forces told Reuters.

A legion official told CNN that Routh had sent emails offering to recruit foreign volunteers but Ukraine's military thought he was "delusional" and did not take the offers seriously.