Trump calls Zelensky a 'modestly successful comedian', 'dictator'
6 Min Read
Trump's remarks came just hours after Zelensky accused the US President of being caught in a Russian "disinformation" bubble.
-
US President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 (Pool via AP)
US President Donald Trump described Wednesday his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky as a "modestly successful comedian" and a "dictator without elections," warning that Ukraine risks losing everything unless he moves swiftly toward a peace agreement with Russia.
"He [Zelensky] refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He asserted that his administration was successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia, something he claimed only he and his team could achieve.
"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 concluded, "I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues….."
Trump's remarks came just hours after Zelensky pushed back against his claim that Ukraine was responsible for the ongoing war with Russia, accusing the US President of being caught in a Russian "disinformation" bubble.
During a meeting in Kiev on Wednesday with Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, Zelensky expressed hope that Trump’s team would gain "more truth" about Ukraine after the US President's assertion that Ukraine "should never have started" the conflict with Russia.
The Ukrainian president also rejected Trump’s claim that his approval rating stood at just 4%, calling it Russian "disinformation" and asserting that any effort to replace him would not succeed.
"We have evidence that these figures are being discussed between America and Russia. That is, President Trump ... unfortunately lives in this disinformation space," Zelensky said in an interview for Ukrainian television.
Less than a month into his presidency, Trump has already reshaped US policy on Ukraine and Russia. He has ended Washington’s efforts to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine, initiating a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and facilitating high-level talks between senior American and Russian officials in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Trump has stated that he may meet Putin later this month. The Kremlin, however, noted that such a meeting could require more time to arrange.
Meanwhile, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund has indicated that several US companies could resume operations in Russia as early as the second quarter of the year.
Read more: Trump to Ukraine: Pay $500 Billion or else
Putin: Riyadh meeting aimed at restoring trust between Russia, US
In a related context, Putin indicated Wednesday that the objective of the recent talks in Riyadh was to rebuild trust between Russia and the United States.
"The purpose and agenda of our talks in Riyadh was to restore Russian-US relations... The most important thing here in resolving all very pressing issues, including the Ukrainian settlement, is that without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States, it is simply impossible to resolve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis," he told reporters.
The Russian leader reiterated that Moscow has never refused to engage in negotiations concerning the Ukraine conflict.
He expressed a "positive" assessment of the recent negotiations between Russian and US delegations in Riyadh, adding that according to the Russian representatives who attended the meeting, members of the American delegation had shown openness to cooperation.
US assumes future talks will include both Russia and Ukraine
Putin revealed that during his phone conversation with Trump, the latter conveyed that Washington expects future negotiations to involve both Russia and Ukraine. "No one excludes Ukraine from this process," he told reporters.
He also stated that the US President has begun receiving more objective information.
"When he [Trump] started receiving information — objective information — he changed his position. This information has changed his approach," Putin said.
He added that Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of Europe or the United States and refrains from exploiting tensions between the US and its allies.
“As far as Euro-Atlantic relations are concerned, we do not interfere here. We do not speculate on all the issues that arise between the United States and its allies,” the Russian leader said.
According to Putin, all European leaders had directly interfered in the US presidential election and even insulted one of the candidates.
Putin says to call Saudi Crown Prince in coming days
The Russian president announced that he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in the near future.
Putin expressed his gratitude to bin Salman for facilitating the Russia-US talks held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
However, he described Ukrainian officials’ hysteria about their absence from the Riyadh negotiations as "inappropriate".
He also revealed that Russia and the United States have agreed to restore the normal functioning of their diplomatic missions following discussions in Riyadh.
“The first thing I would like to say is that we have agreed to resume the work of diplomatic missions in normal mode," Putin told reporters.
He warned that continued diplomatic expulsions between Washington and Moscow would be counterproductive.
According to Putin, there is no need for intermediaries in negotiations between Russia and the United States, saying, "Someone wants to be a mediator between Russia and the US, but probably these are probably excessive requirements."
Putin: Russia ready for negotiations on Ukraine
Additionally, the Russian leader asserted that his country Russia remains open to negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict. "We are ready, I have already said this 100 times ... We are ready to return to the negotiating table," Putin told reporters.
He added that Russia has never refused to engage with European or Ukrainian counterparts, but noted that "they themselves have stopped or banned contacts."
Europe has no reason to react negatively to the Russia-US meeting, as Washington continues to engage its European allies in discussions on Ukraine, Putin pointed out.
He also expressed surprise at Trump’s measured approach toward European allies, whom he accused of behaving in a "boorish" manner.
"In general, to be honest, I am surprised at the restraint of the newly elected President of the United States, Trump, in relation to his [European] allies, who behaved in a similar, frankly, boorish manner," Putin remarked.
Read more: China supports Ukraine peace, principled approach on Palestinian cause
