President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” Wednesday in a Truth Social post, extending a verbal sparring match between the two world leaders the day after U.S. and Russian officials met without Ukraine to discuss terms to end Russia’s three year old invasion.
“He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing (former president Joe) Biden “like a fiddle.” A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Zelenskyy cancelled an election scheduled for spring 2024, saying it could not be held in the middle of an ongoing war and the consequent imposition of martial law, in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution.
Trump on Tuesday also claimed Zelenskyy would not win if an election was held and said the his approval ratings sat at 4% in Ukraine. An opinion poll released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showing that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy.
“We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia,” Zelenskyy told reporters Wednesday, adding that Trump “lives in this disinformation space.”
A departure
Trump’s recent comments, including an accusation overnight that Ukraine started its war with Russia, and willingness to negotiate with Russia without the presence of Ukrainian officials are a departure from the United State’s stance on the actions of the Russian government and have shocked Ukraine and its European allies.
The United States and a worldwide coalition of more than 50 nations have spent billions of dollars to bring weapons and supplies to aid Ukraine as it has fought defend itself after Russian forces invaded in February 2022. Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine in 2023 to reiterate the nation’s ongoing support, and Congress has repeated approved funds.
This week U.S. officials met with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to the war. Ukraine and other European countries were not included in the talks. French President Emmanuel Macron held a separate meeting with European leaders Monday.
In his social media post, Trump took credit for attempting to end the conflict and said “Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the “gravy train” going.”
Trump’s said Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion of the country three years ago, a comment echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric. Trump also argued that Kyiv could have made a deal to avoid the conflict or stop it in the time since.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years,” Trump told reporters at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago Tuesday.
“You should have never started it,” he added referring to Ukraine. “You could have made a deal.”
