Former President Trump has initiated a renewed criticism of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, labeling him a “dictator” and stating that he has performed a “terrible job”.
This latest critique followed Zelensky’s comments regarding US-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia, from which Kyiv was left out, where he claimed that the US president was “living in a disinformation space” influenced by Moscow.
“Zelensky better act quickly, or he risks losing his country,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump’s “dictator” remark rapidly drew backlash from European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who asserted that “it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the statements as “absurd”.
“If you pay attention to the real world rather than just tweeting, you will see who lives under a dictatorship in Europe: people in Russia and Belarus,” she stated during an interview with broadcaster ZDF.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also took issue with Trump’s use of the term “dictator”, emphasizing that Zelensky is a democratically elected leader, a sentiment echoed by UK opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.
Zelensky’s five-year presidency is set to expire in May 2024. Nonetheless, Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s large-scale invasion in February 2022, leading to the suspension of elections.
A White House representative indicated that Trump’s most recent post was a direct reaction to Zelensky’s “disinformation” assertions.
“I love Ukraine,” Trump remarked, “yet Zelensky has performed poorly; his nation is in ruins, and MILLIONS have died unnecessarily.” He also claimed that the US was “successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia.”
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former prime minister of Ukraine, told the BBC that Russia was “celebrating” in response to Trump’s remarks.
“Volodymyr Zelensky is a fully legitimate president,” he asserted. “We cannot conduct elections under martial law.”
The exchange of words started with Trump’s comments during a news conference at Mar-A-Lago in Florida, where he placed the blame for the war on Ukraine.
When asked by BBC News what his message was to Ukrainians who might feel let down, Trump responded: “I hear they’re upset about not having a seat; they’ve had one for three years and long before that. This could have been resolved very easily.”
“You should never have initiated it. A deal could have been made,” he added.
Trump did not address the fact that it was President Vladimir Putin who decided to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
On Wednesday, Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv: “We’re encountering a lot of disinformation, and it’s emanating from Russia. With all due respect to President Donald Trump as a leader… he is entrenched in this disinformation realm.”
He further asserted that he believed “the United States has assisted Putin in breaking out of years of isolation.”
Zelensky also dismissed Trump’s attempts to gain access to Ukraine’s scarce minerals, stating that no security assurances were provided in return.
Trump has sought to highlight Zelensky’s popularity ratings, alleging that the Ukrainian president had only a 4% approval rating. However, BBC Verify reports that recent polling indicates that 57% of Ukrainians expressed trust in the president.
In an explosive post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump also criticized Europe, claiming the conflict in Ukraine is “far more significant to Europe than it is to us.”
“We are separated by a vast, beautiful ocean,” he stated.
Additionally, he remarked that Europe had “failed to establish peace” in the region.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed reporters, stating he would welcome a meeting with Trump “with pleasure”.
For its part, the EU announced plans to implement further sanctions against Russia.
These new sanctions aim to target Russian aluminum and several vessels suspected of illegally transporting oil. They will also disconnect additional Russian banks from the global Swift payment system and prohibit more Russian media outlets from broadcasting in Europe.
