Trump rips into Zelensky in unprecedented attack as he brands wartime leader ‘dictator’ | World | News
Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, branding him a “dictator without elections” and a “modestly successful comedian”.
The incredible broadside on the wartime leader was shared on the Truth Social social media platform, during which the US President launched a bewildering barrage of accusations.
The 78-year-old claimed the Ukrainian president was “A Dictator without Elections” and that “Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left”.
In November, all political parties in Ukraine agreed to postpone holding elections until the end of the war, in what is a common practice during war for many countries.
In Britain, there were also no elections during World War 2. A national government was set up by Winston Churchill in 1940 to see the country through to the end of the war on May 23, 1945.
What Mr Trump did not mention is that in Russia, Vladimir Putin has been President since 2012, and from 2000 to 2008, and during his time in office Putin has virtually wiped out political opposition.
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Mr Trump’s long-winded post on the Truth Social platform went as follows: “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle.
“The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalisation, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation.
“On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’ He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.
“In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do.
“Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..”
Before Mr Trump’s barrage of fresh criticism, Mr Zelensky had said he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful” in a first response to a series of striking claims the US president made before today.
Mr Zelensky, who has been furious at US and Russian diplomats for meeting in Saudi Arabia for peace negotiations without a Ukrainian delegation present, added that he thought the US president “lives in this disinformation space”.
The comments from the leader of the free world against a sovereign nation which was illegally invaded by Russian in February 2022 are likely to send further shockwaves politically around Europe.
Seeming to dispute Mr Trump’s claim the US had provided the most financial support, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X last night: “Financially and militarily, Europe has brought more to the table than anyone else. And we will step up. We want to partner with the US to deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”
In Britain, the Defence Secretary has warned that forgetting about the war in Ukraine while talks take place between the US and Russia risks “jeopardising the peace” as he countered Donald Trump‘s claim that Kyiv started the conflict.
John Healey urged allies to heap “maximum pressure” on Vladimir Putin to force him to approach any negotiations seriously after Washington and Moscow met for discussions on brokering a settlement.
It comes as Europe reels from the US president blaming Ukraine for the war and criticising the country’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, for complaining that Kyiv has been excluded from negotiations about its own future.
Asked for the UK’s response to Mr Trump’s assertion made on Tuesday that Ukraine “started it”, Mr Healey told reporters on a visit to Norway, near its border with Russia: “Three years ago, one country illegally invaded another, and since then, the Ukrainians have been fighting for their freedom.
“They’ve been fighting for their future, and they still are. So whilst all the focus may be on talks, not even negotiations, our concern as defence ministers is that we’re not jeopardising the peace by forgetting about the war.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin has repeatedly expressed readiness for peace talks, and noted that a durable settlement of the conflict in Ukraine would be impossible without “a comprehensive consideration of security issues” in Europe.
