Trump calls Ukraine president Zelensky a 'dictator'

United States president Donald Trump has called the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator".

On Feb. 19, Trump went on his social media platform, Truth Social, and called Zelensky a "dictator without elections".

He reiterated his statement on Feb. 20 (Singapore time) at the FII Priority Summit, where he also called Zelensky a "modestly successful comedian".

He claimed Zelensky talked the U.S. into spending S$350 billion to help in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, apparently S$200 billion more than Europe's contribution.

Trump added that Zelensky said half the money sent to Ukraine was "missing".

"He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing [Joe] Biden 'like a fiddle'. A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left," Trump wrote.

Trump said he was negotiating an end to the conflict with Russia, something only his administration could do:

"Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring peace and Zelensky probably wants to keep the 'gravy train' going. I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered and millions have unnecessarily died."

Zelensky responds

This comes after the U.S. and Russia met in Saudia Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine without any representatives from Ukraine.

Trump, however, has lambasted Zelensky, criticising him for complaining about not being invited, as reported by Politico.

Trump said Zelensky “should have ended it” three years prior, indicating the period when Russia first launched its total invasion of Ukraine.

Trump did not elaborate on what or how Zelensky was meant to negotiate away an invasion intended to end national sovereignty.

Trump also demanded fresh elections in Ukraine and claimed that Zelensky had a 4 per cent approval rating.

Even though Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped, it is positive at 52 per cent, which compares favourably to Trump’s own 53 per cent approval rating, according to CBS.

In response, Zelensky said that while he has "great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us – unfortunately live in this disinformation space," CNN reported.

According to BBC, the British prime minister Keir Starmer backed Zelensky in a phone call.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer "expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine's democratically elected leader."

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Top photos via Donald Trump/Truth Social & Володимир Зеленський Facebook