(vu du Wisconsin)
President Donald Trump warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday he « better move fast » to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.
The rhetoric from Trump toward Ukraine comes amid an escalating back-and-forth between the two presidents and increasing tensions between Washington and much of Europe over Trump’s approach to settling the biggest conflict on the continent since World War II.
Trump’s harsh words for Zelenskyy drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans in the United States, where Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression has bipartisan support.
Zelenskyy said Trump fell into a Russian disinformation trap — and was quickly admonished by Vice President JD Vance about the perils of publicly criticizing the new president.
Trump, who is trying to bring the fighting to a close on terms that Kyiv says are too favorable to Moscow, used an extended social media post on his platform to lash out at Zelenskyy and call the Ukrainian a « dictator without elections. »
« 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 a popular television star in Ukraine before running for office.
The U.S. has committed about $183 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the U.S. special inspector general conducting oversight of American assistance to Ukraine.
Trump, who was in Miami for a meeting of business executives hosted by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, accused Zelenskyy of being « A Dictator without Elections !! » Because of the war, Ukraine delayed elections that were scheduled for April 2024.
The Republican president was riled by Zelenskyy’s charge that Trump « lives in this disinformation space » fostered by Moscow.
« We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia, » Zelenskyy said.
Vance told the Daily Mail that Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump wouldn’t help his cause.
« The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by bad-mouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration, » Vance said.
Ukrainian officials, however, continued to raise their concerns about Trump’s approach.
« Why should dominance be handed over to a country that is an aggressor, a violator of international law, and the author of aggression against Ukraine? » said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy. « We still do not understand this strategy. »
U.S. and Russian officials meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to negotiate a settlement to an end to the war. Ukrainian and European officials were not included.
Trump said Zelenskyy should have worked out a deal earlier. « Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left, » Trump said.
« 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, » Trump wrote.
The rhetoric from Trump went even further than the lies he made Tuesday against the Ukrainians when he suggested Kyiv was responsible for starting the war.
Russia’s army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to justify by falsely asserting it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine.
He also accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to offer Moscow security guarantees. Ukraine and its allies denounced the assault as an unprovoked act of aggression.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York was appalled that Trump blamed Ukraine for Putin’s invasion.
« It’s disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin, » Schumer said.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he disagreed with Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine was responsible.
« I think Vladimir Putin started the war, » Kennedy said. « I also believe, from bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart » who has Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s « taste for blood. »
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Trump’s words insulted the thousands who of Ukrainians who died in the war, and he accused the president of parroting Putin.
« I would call on President Trump to apologize to the people of Ukraine, but it would be a waste of breath, » Durbin said. « Donald Trump is a pushover for Putin. »
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is among the Republican lawmakers who supported Ukraine over the course of the war. He said the Trump administration needed space as it seeks a resolution.
« The president speaks for himself, » Thune said about Trump’s sharpening rhetoric toward Zelenskyy. « What I want to see is a peaceful result, a peaceful outcome. »
Meanwhile, Putin said Wednesday he would like to meet with Trump.
“I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results,” Putin said in televised remarks. He added he would be “pleased” to meet Trump but noted that Trump acknowledged that a Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he initially hoped.