President Donald Trump attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, calling him a "dictator without elections" in a furious message posted on his platform Truth Social this Wednesday, a day after a U.S. delegation met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
Trump's strong criticism emerged after Ukraine was not included in the peace talks held in Saudi Arabia, which were the first discussions of this kind since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelenski, upon learning that Ukraine did not have a seat at the negotiating table, expressed his displeasure at the lack of representation for his country.
Trump lashed out at Zelenski in his post, mentioning that the Ukrainian president should act quickly if he wants to maintain his nation's integrity. He attributed the lack of progress in the war to the lack of efforts by the Biden administration and considered that Europe has failed to achieve peace.
Trump also suggested that Zelenski wanted to continue receiving excessive financial support ("the money machine"), and indicated that, although he likes Ukraine, Zelenski has done a poor job in his leadership, resulting in the destruction of his country and the death of millions of people, many of them unnecessary.
Zelenski replied to Trump's criticisms, accusing him of being in a "disinformation space" regarding the peace negotiations with Russia. In a press conference in Kyiv, after canceling a trip to Saudi Arabia, Zelenski expressed his respect for the American people and for Trump as a leader of a nation that has always supported Ukraine.
However, he pointed out that Trump was misinformed about the peace efforts. The cancellation of his trip to Saudi Arabia was seen as a criticism of the agreements reached by Trump's team with the Russians at Tuesday's meeting, and was followed by Trump's fierce criticism of Ukraine.
Trump also suggested that Ukraine should have ended the conflict three years ago and that it should never have started. He added that Zelenski could have reached an agreement with Russia before the situation became so severe, implying that Ukraine bears some responsibility for the conflict.
This statement increased tensions with the Ukrainian government, which considers its nation to be the victim of an ''unjustified Russian invasion.''
