Former U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him “a dictator without elections” and warning that he must act quickly to secure peace or risk losing his country.
Trump’s remarks, posted on his Truth Social platform, came after Zelenskyy rejected Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian leader accused Trump of being influenced by Russian disinformation.
Zelenskyy, who met Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Wednesday, stated that Trump’s claim of his approval rating being just 4% was false and rooted in Russian propaganda. A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology shows that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy.
Trump’s comments reflect a major shift in U.S. policy, as he has moved away from efforts to isolate Russia, holding direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials. The Kremlin has hinted at a possible Trump-Putin meeting soon, with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund expecting some U.S. companies to resume business in Russia as early as the second quarter of the year.
