Trump calls Zelenskyy a 'dictator' as tensions rise between the leaders over the Ukraine war

AP , Wednesday 19 Feb 2025

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections,” lashing out after the Ukrainian president said Trump was being influenced by Russian disinformation as he moves to end the Kremlin's war against Ukraine on terms that Kyiv says are too favourable to Moscow.

U.S. President Donald Trump. AFP

“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,” Trump said of Zelenskyy, who was popular television star in Ukraine before running for office.\

Trump added in his social media post that Zelenskyy is “A Dictator without Elections”!!

Because of Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has delayed elections that were scheduled for April 2024.

Zelenskyy accused Trump earlier Wednesday of living in a Russian-made “disinformation space."

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like to meet with Trump, a day after senior American and Russian officials held talks that were partially aimed at preparing just such a summit.