Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump attacked Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” and deepening the rift between the two leaders.
His remarks followed Zelensky’s criticism of US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia, from which Kyiv was excluded.
Zelensky accused the US president of “living in a disinformation space” controlled by Moscow.
Speaking at a Saudi-backed investment event in Florida, Trump stated Zelensky’s only real skill was “playing Joe Biden like a fiddle”.
The “dictator” slur quickly prompted criticism from European leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who stated that it is wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy”.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made it clear he supported Zelensky in a phone call to the Ukrainian president.
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A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir expressed his support for Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader.
The spokesperson added that suspending elections during war time was perfectly reasonable. Citing the United Kingdom’s actions during World War Two.
Zelensky’s 5-year term of office was due to come to an end in May last year.
However, Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and polls are suspended.
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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also criticized Trump’s use of the term “dictator” while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock dismissed the remarks as “absurd”.
Annalena Baerbock added, “If you look at the real world instead of just firing off a tweet, you will see who in Europe lives under a dictatorship: people in Russia, people in Belarus.”
Speaking in Florida, Trump labelled Zelensky a “dictator”, just hours after using the same term in a Truth Social post.
“He refuses to have elections. He’s low in the real Ukrainian polls. How can you be high with every city being demolished?” Trump said.
