U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have engaged in a rare public exchange of criticisms following a high-level U.S.-Russia meeting over the Russia-Ukraine conflict held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
The meeting, which included senior Russian and U.S. officials and top diplomats from both countries, aimed to chart a path toward ending the conflict. Notably, Ukraine was not invited to participate.
In response to Ukraine's exclusion, President Zelenskyy postponed a scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, emphasizing that \"negotiations should not take place behind our backs.\" This move sparked a wave of verbal attacks from President Trump, highlighting a rare public disagreement between the leaders of two nations that have been steadfast allies since the conflict began three years ago.
What Did They Say?
Hours after the U.S.-Russia talks on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that he was \"much more confident\" the conflict would end. Addressing Ukraine's absence at the negotiating table, Trump stated, \"I hear that they're upset about not having a seat. Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily.\" He went on to suggest that Kyiv bore responsibility for initiating the conflict, adding, \"You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.\"
Trump also claimed that Zelenskyy's approval rating had plummeted to \"4 percent\" and called for new presidential elections in Ukraine, noting that Zelenskyy's mandate had long expired. In response, Ukraine postponed its presidential election that was scheduled for 2024.
President Zelenskyy sharply countered Trump's comments, accusing him of falling for Russian \"disinformation.\" \"I believe that the United States helped (Vladimir) Putin break out of years of isolation,\" Zelenskyy told reporters on Wednesday, delivering some of his strongest criticism yet of the new U.S. administration. He also urged Trump's team \"to be more truthful\" in their statements.
The verbal exchange escalated further when Trump labeled Zelenskyy a \"Dictator without Elections\" on his social media platform, Truth Social, later on Wednesday. \"Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,\" Trump wrote. In the same post, Trump referred to Zelenskyy as \"a modestly successful comedian\" who \"talked the United States into spending 350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start,\" and \"will never be able to settle\" without the United States and himself.
In response, Zelenskyy highlighted the substantial support Ukraine has received from the United States, stating that the U.S. had provided $67 billion in military aid and $31.5 billion in support for Ukraine's budget. He also pointed out that his approval rating stands above 50 percent, referencing a recent poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
Reference(s):
Explainer: What to know about Trump and Zelenskyy's exchange of barbs?
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