US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a “dictator”, a day after the American leader falsely blamed him for starting the war with Russia three years ago.
Mr Trump's attack against Mr Zelenskyy comes as Washington and Moscow begin talks aimed at ending the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has cut Ukraine out of negotiations and appears more sympathetic to Russia, in an about-face in US policy that has left Ukraine and its European allies reeling.
“A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He also called Mr Zelenskyy a “modestly successful comedian” who had played former US president Joe Biden “like a fiddle".
Later in the day, Mr Trump repeated his comments, again calling the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" who wanted to prolong the war to "keep gravy train going", referring to US military aid.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump said Mr Zelenskyy had low approval ratings and was responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He also suggested that Kyiv does not deserve to take part in peace talks and invited Russia's President Vladimir Putin to attend.
“You should have never started it, you could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land, everything, almost all of the land, and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished … but they chose not to do it that way,” Mr Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago home on Tuesday.
His comments drew a rebuke from Mike Pence, who was Mr Trump's vice president during his first term.
“Mr President, Ukraine did not 'start' this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The road to peace must be built on the truth,” Mr Pence wrote on X.
Mr Trump appears to have been rattled by comments earlier on Wednesday from Mr Zelenskyy, who said the US leader was in a Russian “disinformation bubble”. He also quoted a study from this month that found 57 per cent of Ukrainians approve of him.
Mr Trump also contended that Mr Zelenskyy was misusing American aid intended for the war effort and had taken advantage of Democrat Joe Biden's administration.
Mr Zelenskyy's term ended in 2024 and elections should have taken place last April, but they were postponed as the nation is under martial law.
The US president's comments drew condemnation from Europe, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying it was "wrong and dangerous" to call Mr Zelenskyy a dictator.
The remarks against Mr Zelenskyy began when he voiced disappointment at not being invited to talks held on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia between US and Russian officials to end the war in Ukraine. Both Washington and Moscow described the talks positively, with Mr Trump and Mr Putin thanking Riyadh for hosting the dialogue.
"I would like to express my sincere thanks to the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, not only for Riyadh hosting a high-level meeting between Russia and the United States but also for creating a very friendly atmosphere," the Russian leader told reporters. He also said Moscow and Washington needed to work with each other if talks were to be successful.
"It is impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States," he said.
Mr Trump, who took office one month ago, has pledged to end military aid to Ukraine, saying the US has grossly overspent compared to European allies who could be more affected by the war.
He claimed the US has funnelled $350 billion in aid to Ukraine. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress has passed five bills allocating about $175 billion in aid to Ukraine.
