Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Wednesday (early Thursday AEST) that Donald Trump is in a "space of false information created by Russia," while the U.S. leader called his Ukrainian counterpart a "dictator with no election." These remarks will undoubtedly complicate efforts to end the war. Zelenskyy's comments were in response to a series of startling statements made by Trump the previous day, including falsely suggesting that Kyiv is responsible for the war, which will enter its fourth year next week.
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02-22, 2025The remarks by Trump and Zelenskyy represent a shocking exchange between the leaders of two countries that had been staunch allies in recent years under Trump's previous leadership. During former President Joe Biden's administration, the United States has provided crucial military equipment to Kyiv to defend against the invasion and has used its political influence to defend Ukraine and isolate Russia on the world stage.
The Trump administration has begun charting a new course, engaging with Russia and pushing for a peace deal. Senior officials from both countries held talks on Tuesday to discuss improving relations, negotiating an end to the war, and potentially preparing for a meeting between Trump and Putin after years of strained relations. Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy on social media, calling him "a little accomplished comedian" who "has cost the United States of America $350 Billion (AUD$552Billion) in a war that should never have started, but he would never have been able to handle without USA and ‘Trump’."
Trump went on to say that the only thing Zelenskyy is "good at is playing Biden like a fiddle." He advised Zelenskyy to "move fast, or he’ll have nothing left." Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like to meet with Trump. "I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it yields results," Putin said in televised remarks on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).
Putin added that he would be "happy" to meet with Trump but noted that Trump has already acknowledged that resolving the Ukraine issue may take longer than he initially hoped. The Russian leader called the talks held on Tuesday in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, between senior Russian and American officials "very positive." He said that officials who participated in the talks described to him that the U.S. delegation was "completely different people who are open to the negotiation process, without any bias, without condemning what was done in the past," and determined to work with Moscow.
Putin stated that the "goal and subject" of Tuesday's talks was to "restore Russian-American relations." He said, "Without raising the level of trust between Russia and the United States, it is impossible to resolve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis. The goal of this meeting was precisely to raise the level of trust between Russia and the United States." He dismissed Zelenskyy's complaints about Ukraine being excluded from U.S.-Russia talks, calling Kyiv's reaction "groundless." "President Trump told me in our phone calls that the United States believes that the negotiation process will include both Russia and Ukraine," Putin said. "No one is going to exclude Ukraine."
Putin also added that he was surprised to see Trump showing "restraint" towards those European leaders who supported his rivals in the U.S. elections. He said, "All the European leaders effectively interfered directly in the American elections," adding that some "directly insulted" Trump. "Frankly speaking, I was surprised to see the restraint that the newly elected American President is showing towards his allies who, to put it bluntly, behaved rudely." Putin reiterated the Kremlin's official position that Russia has never rejected the possibility of negotiations with Kyiv or its European allies.
He said, "The Europeans have stopped communicating with Russia. The Ukrainian side has forbidden itself to conduct negotiations," referring to a decree issued by Zelenskyy in 2022 rejecting any talks with Moscow. Zelenskyy's remarks on Wednesday came shortly before he was expected to meet with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, as part of a recent blitz of diplomacy by the administration. Ukraine and its European backers have expressed concern about not being invited to the talks between senior U.S. and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia, fearing that any agreement being forged could be detrimental to Kyiv.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Trump showed poca patience with Ukraine's objections to being excluded. He also stated, without providing a source, that Zelenskyy had a 4% approval rating while telling reporters that Ukraine "should never have started" the war and "could have made a deal" to prevent it. Zelenskyy responded at his own news conference on Wednesday, saying, "We have already seen this disinformation. We know it is coming from Russia," adding that Trump "lives in this false information space." Zelenskyy stated that he would like Kellogg to go around Kyiv and ask Ukrainians "whether they trust their president."
"Do they trust Putin? Let him ask Trump what they think after their president makes such statements," he said. Russian state television and other state-controlled media rejoiced at what they portrayed as Trump's snub of Zelenskyy. "Trump didn't even try to hide his annoyance with Zelenskyy," Russian Channel One said at the start of its news program. The daily Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper stated, "Trump sharply criticized Zelenskyy for his complaints about talks with Russia."
Trump also suggested that Ukraine should hold elections, which have been postponed due to the war and the ensuing martial law, which is in accordance with the Ukrainian constitution. Zelenskyy also addressed "this narrative" that 90% of all aid received by Ukraine comes from the United States. He said that, for example, about 34% of all weapons in Ukraine are domestically produced, and more than 30% of support comes from Europe.
The battlefield has brought more discouraging news for Ukraine in recent months. Relentless offensives by Russia's larger army in the east are wearing down Ukrainian forces, which are slowly but steadily being pushed back in some locations along the 1,000-kilometer front line. U.S. officials have already signaled that Ukraine's hopes of joining NATO after a possible peace agreement to deter Russian aggression will not be realized. Zelenskyy has stated that any solution would require security commitments from the United States to deter Russia.
"We understand the necessity of security guarantees," Kellogg said in comments released by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Novyny upon his arrival at Kyiv's train station. "The importance of this country's sovereignty and this country's independence is very clear to us. … Part of my mission is to sit down and listen," the retired three-star general said. Kellogg stated that he would convey what he learns from his visit to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to "make sure we get this right."
