United States President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” and criticizing U.S. financial aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump accused Zelensky of refusing to hold elections, noting that his five-year presidential term had expired. He further claimed that the Ukrainian leader had manipulated President Joe Biden into spending $350 billion on a war that “couldn’t be won.”
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350bn, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a war that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,” Trump wrote.
He further criticized Zelensky’s leadership, stating:
“He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle’. A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
Trump reiterated his long-standing position that only he could negotiate an end to the war, arguing that neither Biden nor European leaders had succeeded in brokering peace.
“In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going,” he claimed.
Trump also suggested that Ukraine should have ended the war sooner through negotiations, saying, “You should’ve ended it after three years. You could’ve made a deal.”
Zelensky Responds
In response, Zelensky rejected Trump’s statements, accusing him of being influenced by Russian disinformation, particularly regarding claims that Ukraine had “started” the war.
“Unfortunately, President Trump – I have great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us – unfortunately lives in this disinformation space,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader also insisted that Ukraine must be included in any talks regarding a resolution to the war. His remarks followed reports of discussions between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky emphasized that no decisions should be made about Ukraine without its involvement, underlining Kyiv’s role in any potential peace process.
