United States President Donald Trump has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump criticised Zelensky for his failure to hold elections, noting that the Ukrainian leader’s five-year term expired last year.
He further claimed that Zelensky’s popularity was low, accusing him of “playing” President Joe Biden.
“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.
“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 noted.
Trump also suggested that the only way to end the war was through negotiations led by him, stating that the Trump administration was the only one capable of securing peace.
The US president said, “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.
“I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..”
Zelensky, who was elected in 2019, has remained in office under martial law since Russia’s invasion, which legally suspends the requirement for elections.
While his popularity has declined, surveys indicate that his approval rating has never dropped below 50 per cent during the war, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
In a recent statement, Trump, who has been critical of Zelenskyy’s handling of the war, argued that Ukraine should have negotiated an end to the conflict earlier.
He suggested, “You should’ve ended it after three years. You could’ve made a deal.”
In response to Trump’s criticism, Zelensky accused the former president of being influenced by Russian disinformation, particularly in Trump’s claim that Ukraine had “started” the war and his repeated doubts about Zelensky’s legitimacy.
“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,” Zelenskyy said.
Also, Zelenskyy on Tuesday reiterated his demand for Ukraine to be included in any discussions aimed at ending the ongoing war with Russia, following talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Ukraine President emphasised that no decisions regarding the conflict should be made without Ukraine’s involvement, underlining the importance of Kyiv’s participation in peace talks.
