Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
Updated 10.28 AM GMT+February 20, 2025
Share
Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump deteriorated rapidly Wednesday as Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” and Trump called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” in comments that were sure to complicate efforts to end the war.
Zelenskyy also said he would like Trump's team "to be more truthful" as he offered his first response to a series of striking claims that Trump made a day earlier, including falsely suggesting that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week.
The comments were a staggering back-and-forth between leaders of two countries that have been staunch allies in recent years under Trump's predecessor. While former President Joe Biden was in the White House, the US provided crucial military equipment to Kyiv to fend off the invasion and used its political weight to defend Ukraine and isolate Russia on the world stage.
The Trump administration has started charting a new course, reaching out to Russia and pushing for a peace deal. Senior officials from both countries held talks Tuesday to discuss improving ties, negotiating an end to the war and potentially preparing a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after years of frosty relations.
Related Stories
Top Russian officials will hold talks with US in Saudi Arabia
Top Russian officials will hold talks with US in Saudi Arabia
Zelenskyy tells AP that excluding Ukraine from US-Russia talks is 'dangerous'
Zelenskyy tells AP that excluding Ukraine from US-Russia talks is 'dangerous'
Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump pushes direct talks with Russia on war's end
Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump pushes direct talks with Russia on war's end
Trump lashes out on social media
Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy in a social media post that apparently referred to the fact that Ukraine has delayed elections because of the invasion and the subsequent imposition of martial law in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution. Trump suggested Ukraine ought to hold elections.
Trump also called Zelenskyy "a modestly successful comedian" who "talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that could not be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the US and 'TRUMP,' will never be able to settle."
AP AUDIO: Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
AP correspondent Laurence Brooks reports on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claims that US President Donald Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space”.
The president went on to say that the only thing Zelenskyy “was good at was playing Biden 'like a fiddle.'” He advised Zelenskyy to “move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
He later repeated many of the criticisms of Zelenskyy, who he said has done a "terrible job," during an address before a meeting in Miami of business executives hosted by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
Meanwhile, Putin said he would like to meet with Trump.
Russia's army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely asserting that it was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. He also accused the US 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.
"I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results," Putin said Wednesday in televised remarks. He added that he would be "pleased" to meet Trump but noted that Trump has acknowledged that a Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he initially hoped.
Putin says he wants to rebuild US-Russia relations
The Russian leader hailed Tuesday's talks between senior Russian and US officials in the Saudi capital of Riyadh as "very positive." He said officials who took part in the talks described the US delegation to him as "completely different people who were open to the negotiation process without any bias, without any condemnation of what was done in the past," and determined to work together with Moscow.
Putin said "the goal and subject" of Tuesday's talks "was the restoration of Russia-US relations."
"Without increasing 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 increase trust between Russia and the United States," Putin said.
He brushed off Zelenskyy's complaints about Ukr
Comments
Post a Comment