KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump deteriorated rapidly Wednesday as Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made 鈥渄isinformation space” and Trump called Zelenskyy 鈥渁 dictator without elections鈥� in comments that were sure to complicate efforts to end the war.
Zelenskyy also said he would like Trump鈥檚 team 鈥渢o be more truthful鈥� as he offered his first response to a series of striking claims that Trump made a day earlier, including falsely suggesting that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week.
The comments were a staggering back-and-forth between leaders of two countries that have been staunch allies in recent years under Trump鈥檚 predecessor. While former President Joe Biden was in the White House, the U.S. provided crucial military equipment to Kyiv to fend off the invasion and used its political weight to defend Ukraine and isolate Russia on the world stage.
The Trump administration has started charting a new course, reaching out to Russia and pushing for a peace deal. Senior officials from both countries held talks Tuesday to discuss improving ties, negotiating an end to the war and potentially preparing a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after years of frosty relations.
Trump lashes out on social media
Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy in a social media post that apparently referred to the fact that Ukraine has delayed elections because of the invasion and the subsequent imposition of martial law in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution. Trump suggested Ukraine ought to hold elections.
Trump also called Zelenskyy 鈥渁 modestly successful comedian鈥� who 鈥渢alked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn鈥檛 be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and 鈥楾RUMP,鈥� will never be able to settle.鈥�
The president went on to say that the only thing Zelenskyy “was good at was playing Biden 鈥榣ike a fiddle.鈥欌�� He advised Zelenskyy to 鈥渕ove fast or he is not going to have a Country left.鈥�
He later repeated many of the criticisms of Zelenskyy, who he said has done a 鈥渢errible job,鈥� during an address before a meeting in Miami of business executives hosted by Saudi Arabia鈥檚 sovereign wealth fund.
Meanwhile, Putin said he would like to meet with Trump.
Russia鈥檚 army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely asserting that it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. He also accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia鈥檚 demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to offer Moscow security guarantees. Ukraine and its allies denounced the assault as an unprovoked act of aggression.
鈥淚 would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results,鈥� Putin said Wednesday in televised remarks. He added that he would be 鈥減leased鈥� to meet Trump but noted that Trump has acknowledged that a Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he initially hoped.
Putin says he wants to rebuild US-Russia relations
The Russian leader hailed Tuesday’s talks between senior Russian and U.S. officials in the Saudi capital of Riyadh as 鈥渧ery positive.鈥� He said officials who took part in the talks described the U.S. delegation to him as 鈥渃ompletely different people who were open to the negotiation process without any bias, without any condemnation of what was done in the past,鈥� and determined to work together with Moscow.
Putin said 鈥渢he goal and subject鈥� of Tuesday鈥檚 talks 鈥渨as the restoration of Russia-U.S. relations.鈥�
鈥淲ithout increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States, it is impossible to resolve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis. The goal of this meeting was precisely to increase trust between Russia and the United States,鈥� Putin said.
He brushed off Zelenskyy’s complaints about Ukraine being left out of the U.S.-Russian talks amid larger worries that the deal taking shape could be unfavorable to Kyiv. Putin said Kyiv鈥檚 reaction was 鈥渦nfounded.鈥�
鈥淧resident Trump told me during our phone call that the United States are proceeding from the assumption that the negotiations process will involve Russia and Ukraine,鈥� Putin said. 鈥淣o one is going to exclude Ukraine out of it.鈥�
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it was “wrong and dangerous鈥� to deny Zelenskyy鈥檚 democratic legitimacy. Germany has been Kyiv鈥檚 second-biggest weapons supplier after the U.S.
鈥淭hat no orderly elections can be held in the middle of the war corresponds to the stipulations of the Ukrainian Constitution and election laws. No one should say anything different,鈥� Scholz told news outlet Der Spiegel.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke Wednesday to Zelenskyy and 鈥渟tressed the need for everyone to work together,鈥� according to Starmer鈥檚 office, which added that it is 鈥減erfectly reasonable” to suspend elections during wartime, as the U.K. did during World War II.
Ukrainian president meets with US special envoy
Zelenskyy’s remarks Wednesday came shortly before he was to meet with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia as part of the administration’s recent diplomatic blitz.
At a news conference Tuesday, Trump showed little patience for Ukraine鈥檚 objections to being excluded from the talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia. He also said, without providing the source, that Zelenskyy鈥檚 approval rating stood at 4%, while telling reporters that Ukraine 鈥渟hould have never started鈥� the war and 鈥渃ould have made a deal鈥� to prevent it.
Zelenskyy replied Wednesday at his own news conference: “We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia.鈥� He said that Trump 鈥渓ives in this disinformation space.鈥�
Zelenskyy said he hoped Kellogg would walk through Kyiv and ask Ukrainians “if they trust their president? Do they trust Putin? Let him ask about Trump, what they think after the statements made by their president.”
The Ukrainian leader also referred to 鈥渢he story鈥� that 90% of all aid received by Ukraine comes from the United States. He said, for instance, that about 34% of all weapons in Ukraine are domestically produced and over 30% of support comes from Europe.
In other developments, a poll released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology put public trust in Zelenskyy at 57%. The survey was conducted Feb. 4 to Feb. 9 among 1,000 people living across Ukraine in regions and territories controlled by the Ukrainian government.
The institute鈥檚 executive director, Anton Hrushetskyi, described the result as 鈥渧ery good鈥� for a democratic society. In addition to public trust, he said, Zelenskyy 鈥渞etains his legitimacy.鈥�
Trump’s treatment of Zelenskyy makes Russia media gleeful
Russian state TV and other state-controlled media reacted with glee to what they portrayed as Trump鈥檚 cold shoulder to Zelenskyy.
鈥淭rump isn鈥檛 even trying to hide his irritation with Zelenskyy,鈥� the Rossiya channel said at the top of its newscast.
鈥淭rump steamrolled Zelenskyy for his complaints about the talks with Russia,鈥� the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda said.
On the battlefield, a relentless onslaught in eastern areas by Russia’s bigger army is grinding down Ukrainian forces, which are slowly but steadily being pushed back at some points on the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
American officials have signaled that Ukraine鈥檚 hopes of joining NATO after reaching a possible peace agreement won鈥檛 happen. Zelenskyy says any settlement will require U.S. security commitments to keep Russia at bay.
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