Trump boasts of talks with Russia and calls Zelensky a “dictator without elections”
19 February 20:53
US President Donald Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that he refuses to hold elections.
He wrote about this in a post on Truth Social, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Trump also called Zelenskyy a “moderately successful comedian” who allegedly “persuaded” the United States to spend $350 billion to help Ukraine, which is $200 billion more than Europe.
“In addition, Zelensky admits that half of the money we sent him has ‘disappeared’. He refuses to run for office, has a very low rating in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he is good at is playing Biden “like a violin,” the US president said in a post.
He advised the Ukrainian president to “act quickly” because, he said, “otherwise he will not have a country left.” Trump also recalled the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, calling them successful and something that “only Trump and the Trump administration can do.”
“Biden didn’t even try, Europe failed to bring peace, and Zelenskyy apparently wants the ‘cash flow’ to continue. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his country is broken, and millions of people have died needlessly,” the US leader added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote against the backdrop of Trump’s statement that “no one can force Ukraine to surrender” and it will “defend its right to exist.”
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against “bad-mouthing” U.S. leader Donald Trump. According to him, this will not change the opinion of the US president, he said in an interview with the British tabloid Daily Mail.
According to Vance, Trump’s statement is his position, which is not based on Russian disinformation.
“It’s based on the fact that Donald Trump, I think, knows a lot about geopolitics and has a very strong view, and has had a strong view for a very long time,” the US vice president said.
At the same time, Vance noted that it is a mistake to think that you can “change the president’s mind by badmouthing him publicly in the media.”
“Anyone who knows the president will tell you that this is a terrible way to deal with this administration,” he said.
According to the US vice president, Zelenskyy received “bad advice” on how to deal with the new administration.
In addition, Vance emphasized that the United States “loves the Ukrainian people” and admires the “bravery of the soldiers” Of Ukraine, but they believe that this war should be brought to an end as soon as possible.
As a reminder, the day before, Trump claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had only a 4% approval rating, and that is why he insisted on holding elections. According to Trump, the position on elections is “not Russian” but “comes from him and from many other countries.”
In response, Zelenskyy cited the latest poll data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), according to which, as of the first half of February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust him.
Therefore, according to the Ukrainian president, “if (someone – ed.) wants to change me right now, then right now will not work.”
He added that the 4% figure is Russian disinformation, and Trump, “unfortunately, lives in this disinformation space.”
