Photo: Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
Donald Trump said that Russia has an advantage in any peace talks over the war in Ukraine because it has “seized a lot of territory”. He also called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” for the second time in a day, which caused a wave of outrage among European leaders.
On his way back to Washington after speaking at a Saudi-sponsored investment forum in Florida, Trump gave an interview to the BBC in which he said that Moscow was “sincerely trying to end the war” and that Ukraine could “cut a deal” and avoid conflict.
“I think the Russians want to end the war, really. They have some advantage because they have captured a lot of territory. They have a trump card,” Trump said while flying aboard Air Force One.
When asked whether he trusted Russia on peace, Trump replied: “Yes, I do”.
Conflict with Zelenskyy
The day before, Trump had already accused Zelenskyy of being a “dictator”, saying that the Ukrainian president was not holding elections. He repeated this attack on Truth Social and during a speech in Florida:
“He refuses to hold elections. His rating is low in real Ukrainian polls. How can you be popular when every city is destroyed?” said Trump.
According to Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held during martial law, which was imposed due to the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Trump also attempted to cast doubt on Zelenskyy’s popularity, claiming that the Ukrainian president’s approval rating allegedly does not exceed 4%. However, according to BBC Verify, current polls show that the level of trust in Zelenskyy among Ukrainians is 57%.
Criticism from Europe
Trump’s harsh statements caused a wave of criticism among world leaders.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said:
“Denying the democratic legitimacy of President Zelenskyy is not just wrong, it is dangerous.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed support for Zelenskyy during a telephone conversation.
Meanwhile, representatives of the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia, the first high-level talks between the countries since the start of the invasion. Ukraine was not invited to these talks.
After that, Trump again shifted the responsibility for the war to Kyiv, saying:
“You shouldn’t have started the war. You could have made a deal”.
In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of lying during these talks and sharply rejected Trump’s statements:
“With all due respect to President Donald Trump… he lives in a space of disinformation.”
