Trump calls Zelensky 'dictator,' warns of Ukraine's demise without elections
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing him of refusing to have elections, and repeating false claims about the war in Ukraine.
“He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle,'” Trump wrote.
A Feb. 19 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, a five-point increase since December.
Trump also called the Ukrainian president “a dictator without elections,” saying that “Zelensky better move fast, or he won’t have a country left."
The claim ignores the fact that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Trump also referred to Zelensky as a “modestly successful comedian” and accused him of persuading the U.S. to spend $350 billion on Ukraine.
“The United States has spent 200 billion dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back,” Trump claimed.
Earlier on Feb. 19, Zelensky said Ukraine’s wartime military costs had totaled $320 billion, with the U.S. and EU combined providing $200 billion of that sum in defense support.
“We, the people of Ukraine, (covered) $120 billion, the U.S. and the EU — $200 billion. We are talking about arms; this is a weapons package worth $320 billion,” Zelensky said in Kyiv.
Trump’s remarks follow his Feb. 18 statement that Ukraine “should hold new elections,” appearing to blame Zelensky’s leadership for the ongoing war.
His comments come amid growing concerns in Kyiv after U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia — without Ukraine — to discuss strategies for ending the war.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy