U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a “dictator” who risks losing his country if he does not “move fast.”
In his harshest public criticism of the Ukrainian leader to date, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on February 19, “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
Ukraine’s constitution bars it from holding elections under martial law, which was imposed when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and continues to this day after repeated extensions.
Zelenskyy’s five-year term was due to end in May 2024 after elections in March, and Putin has said he would not negotiate with the Ukrainian president because he would not have the authority to sign a peace deal.
Trump wrote that “Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going,” apparently referring to Western aid. “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died.”
Trump’s statement comes hours after Zelenskyy reiterated concerns over U.S.-Russian talks held in Saudi Arabia on ending Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine launched almost three years ago.
At a press conference in Kyiv earlier in the day, Zelenskyy said that the previous day’s high-level talks in Riyadh, involving U.S. Secretary of State Marc Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, were aimed at “taking [Russian President Vladimir] Putin out of isolation,” and could potentially lead to a shift in the geopolitical dynamics, with implications for Ukraine’s security.
“The United States helped Putin to get out of a multiyear isolation….Putin and Russians are very happy about it,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “yesterday there was a hint that Russia is a victim, which is something new.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed support for Zelenskyy as the democratically elected leader of Ukraine. The British government’s press service said Starmer spoke with Zelenskyy by phone, saying that it was “quite sensible to suspend elections during wartime” as Britain did during World War II.
The British prime minister reiterated his support for US-led efforts to establish a lasting peace in Ukraine that would deter Russia from any future aggression.
Zelenskyy said later on Telegram that Britain’s role in strengthening Europe’s defense and security is very important to Ukraine.
“We discussed future prospects and opportunities. The support of Great Britain is extremely important, and we will never forget the respect of the British people for Ukraine and our citizens,” Zelenskyy said.
A day earlier, Trump seemed to blame him for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying he was “disappointed” that Zelenskyy had complained about being frozen out of the U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war.
“Today I heard, oh, well, we weren’t invited. Well, you’ve been there for three years,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine. “You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
Zelenskyy, however, said on February 19 that he would like “to have more truth” from the Trump administration.
Trump’s remarks on February 19 drew condemnation from German leaders, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz calling the dictator accusation “wrong and dangerous” and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saying it was “absurd.”
“If you look at the real world…then you know who in Europe has to live in the conditions of a dictatorship: people in Russia, people in Belarus,” Baerbock said in an interview with broadcaster ZDF.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in an interview with the Daily Mail, warned that Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump would backfire.
“The idea that Zelenskyy is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Vance said.
At a press conference in Florida after the Riyadh discussions on February 18, Trump did not clarify what he meant when he made his remarks but he has often blamed the war on Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, and has said the full-scale invasion could have been avoided or ended quickly through negotiations.
Experts say Russia’s full-scale invasion was driven by Putin’s imperial ambitions rather than Ukraine’s NATO ambition, which had little support from the West at the time.
Zelenskyy brought up the Western alliance at his press conference on February 19, pointing out that there were limited avenues available for securing security guarantees for his country’s sovereignty.
“I have insisted [on Ukraine’s membership in] NATO, but you know what the answers have been,” he said, suggesting that the path to joining the Western military alliance remains obstructed.
“The safety guarantees fully depend on our partners,” he added, reiterating that Ukraine’s security relies heavily on Western support.
Despite the geopolitical challenges, Zelenskyy signaled his readiness to engage in discussions, but emphasized Ukraine’s need for robust defense assistance, saying his country was “ready for talks, for a dialogue. What we need is a defense which can be provided by the West.”
“Our army is different than it used to be at the beginning of Russia’s aggression,” he added. “Now, our army is the strongest in Europe. We can talk confidently with our partners and foes.” He again emphasized the need for Kyiv to be involved in any negotiations concerning the war, saying that “no deal is possible without us.”
Responding to a question from a journalist about Trump’s desire to have compensation in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in assistance it has received from the United States, Zelenskyy indicated that he was open to discussions regarding access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, but stressed the need for meaningful negotiations as well tangible security guarantees.
“It is not a serious talk when the figure of $500 billion appears as a volume of assistance Ukraine received. I am representing Ukraine, and I cannot sell Ukraine,” he said.
Zelenskyy also called on the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, who is visiting Kyiv on February 19, to personally meet with Ukrainian people, “especially our military personnel fighting to stop Russia’s invasion” to find out what they think about the situation, Ukraine’s current leadership, Trump’s statements, and the talks in Saudi Arabia.
Kellogg’s visit to the Ukrainian capital comes after Trump said that he now feels “much more confident” of reaching a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine following the Riyadh discussions on February 18, which saw Moscow and Washington agreeing to establish teams to negotiate a path to ending the war.
“I think I have the power to end this war,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Key Takeaways From Saudi Meeting
By Mike Eckel, RFE/RL senior international correspondent
(Diplomatic) Boots On The Ground. The two sides agreed to re-staff their diplomatic posts in Washington and Moscow. It’s a diplomatic spat that predates the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stretching into the first Trump administration (dozens expelled on both sides), and even the Obama administration, which also shuttered two diplomatic compounds in the States. Putting more diplomats on the ground is, by all accounts, fairly noncontroversial. For its part, the Kremlin signaled prior to Riyadh it wants those compounds back.
Give Peace A Chance. The delegations agreed to create a high-level team to focus specifically on the Ukraine conflict. But the devil is in the details: Is NATO membership off the table? European peacekeepers? More weapons for Kyiv? Fewer sanctions for Moscow? We won’t get any hints of what’s on the table for weeks. Something else to watch: a side comment made earlier by Putin in the Kremlin readout of his call with Trump, which referenced “root causes” of the Ukraine war. If it pops up again, it may augur bad news for Ukrainian independence or autonomy.
‘Closer Relations And Economic Cooperation.’ That can mean pretty much anything, but one bit of low-hanging fruit for closer relations is space cooperation. Russia and the United States for years largely succeeded in shielding their joint space work from politics. That’s atrophied in recent years. Signing a new agreement between NASA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, would be an easy, noncontroversial move.
Trump also said he might meet Putin this month and that he would not oppose a European move to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, an idea discussed during a European summit in Paris on February 17.
“If they want to do that I’m all for it,” said Trump, before adding that the United States has no plans to contribute troops to any contingent sent to Ukraine to provide security guarantees.
Trump also said that Ukraine should hold elections, saying: “That’s not a Russia thing, that’s something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.”
Other U.S. officials have suggested that Ukraine could hold elections following a cease-fire deal and this would be “good for democracy.”
Zelenskiy stated on February 19 that he has significant public support which underscores his leadership’s legitimacy, citing a 57 percent approval rating in recent polls. “If somebody wants to replace me now, it’s not going to work,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its aggression against Ukraine overnight using multiple drones to attack the Black Sea port of Odesa, leaving more than 500 buildings without power amid subzero temperatures.
According to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, more than a quarter of a million of residents as well as 14 schools and 13 kindergartens are now without heating, power, and water supplies in freezing winter weather. Four people are known to have been hurt.
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