Trump’s post had several mistakes in it and came after the government tried to improve its relationship with Russia by having important discussions.
Trump’s message had several mistakes in it and came after the government tried to improve its relationship with Russia by having important discussions about stopping the war in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump referred to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a dictator” after Zelenskyy accused him of being trapped in a Russian “disinformation bubble.” This back-and-forth between the two leaders escalated quickly.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump made several incorrect statements, like claiming Zelenskyy is not an elected president. This came after the U.S. government tried to improve its relationship with Russia by discussing ways to end the war in Ukraine.
This argument is happening at a very important time for Ukraine, which is trying hard to gain support from Western countries to fight against Russian forces that have taken over 20% of its land and frequently attack its cities and infrastructure.
Trump also described Zelenskyy as a “modestly successful comedian” who convinced the U.S. to spend $350 billion on a war that he believes was unnecessary and unwinnable. He added that without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” Zelenskyy would struggle to resolve the conflict.
Trump warned, “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
Zelenskyy speaking Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey.Evrim Aydin / Anadolu via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called Zelensky’s comments “disgraceful.”
“He is attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now,” Vance said in an interview with The National Pulse. “And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
Several Republican senators said Wednesday that they disagreed with Trump’s comments about Zelensky, but they stopped short of criticizing the president directly.
Senator Susan Collins from Maine expressed her disagreement when asked about Trump’s remarks. Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana also disagreed, stating that he believes Vladimir Putin is the one who started the war, not Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy mentioned on X that he had a conversation with Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, who he described as “constructive” and actively working towards peace. He emphasized the importance of security guarantees that truly benefit Ukraine for achieving lasting peace. They both participated in a panel at the Munich Security Conference last week.
Zelenskyy, who was famous as an actor and comedian before becoming president, talked about the U.S. support for Ukraine, which includes $67 billion in weapons and $31.5 billion in other aid. He criticized the American expectation for Ukraine to give up over $500 billion in rare earth minerals, calling it “not a serious conversation” and insisted he cannot sell out his country.
Zelenskyy’s strong remarks about not wanting “anyone making decisions behind our backs” were in response to Trump’s claim that Ukraine was to blame for Russia’s invasion.
In an interview on Fox News, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz defended Trump, saying he shouldn’t be criticized for seeking a diplomatic solution. He questioned why President Zelenskyy hasn’t worked to end the war for the benefit of Ukraine and asked if Ukraine’s situation on the battlefield is improving.
Waltz also pointed out the strange backlash and heightened rhetoric regarding the Trump administration’s plan to invest in Ukrainian infrastructure and rare minerals.
In Kyiv, regular Ukrainians expressed their support for Zelenskyy while nervously watching the growing connection between Trump and Putin.
“I really don’t like how Trump is getting cozy with Putin,” said 49-year-old Fedir Logvynenko. “I can’t tell if he’s being smart or just clueless.”
He mentioned that he agreed with Zelenskyy’s stance on not accepting any agreements about Ukraine without Ukraine being involved, and he also criticized Ukraine’s European partners.
Yuliya Antonyuk, a 42-year-old real estate agent, said that Ukrainians “can’t manage without American weapons and help.”
“I just want people to stop dying every day. I want to be able to sleep peacefully,” she said, adding that it would be “impossible” to hold presidential elections in the country right now because of the constant shelling.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Saudi Arabia, which worried Ukrainians and their European allies who believe any decision to end the war should include them.
Trump claimed that the U.S. is “successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia” and suggested that “Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.”
Trump also said that Zelenskyy had a mere 4% approval rating, but a recent poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that 57% of Ukrainians actually trust him.
“As for that 4%, we know it’s just disinformation coming from Russia,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a Pew Research Center poll indicated that 47% of Americans somewhat approve of Trump’s performance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.SPA / AFP – Getty Images
Zelenskyy mentioned that any efforts to remove him while the war is happening would not succeed. He responded to Trump’s comments about Ukrainian elections, especially since Putin has claimed that Zelenskyy isn’t the real leader of Ukraine. Zelenskyy argued that most Ukrainians would not agree to give in to Russia.
Trump also stated that “MILLIONS have unnecessarily died” because of the war.
It is not known how many have died since Russia and Ukraine do not release casualty numbers, but reliable estimates put the number of those killed at a fraction of 1 million.
Trump repeated some of Putin’s criticisms, who has been in charge of Russia for almost 25 years through elections that many think are unfair. Putin has often questioned whether Zelenskyy should still be in charge of Ukraine.
Ukraine last had a presidential election in 2019 and was supposed to have another one in April, but Zelenskyy mentioned that it’s not safe for people to vote during a war, and the country’s constitution supports that idea.
While talking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night, Trump claimed he could end the war in Ukraine. He said, “But today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years.” He added, “You should have never started it.”
In Moscow, the response to the shift in U.S. foreign policy has been more positive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to lawmakers on Wednesday and didn’t directly respond to Trump’s comments but hinted that the Kremlin was happy with the discussions.
Lavrov noted that the U.S. president is “the first, and so far, apparently, the only Western leader who has publicly and loudly said that one of the root causes of the Ukrainian situation was the brazen path of the previous administration to draw Ukraine into NATO.” He added, “No Western leader has ever said this.” Lavrov concluded by saying this shows that the president understands Russia’s viewpoint.
