Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was scheduled to meet with United States envoy, Keith Kellogg on Thursday, following US President Donald Trump’s scathing remarks, in which he labeled Zelensky a “dictator” and suggested that Russia holds the upper hand in negotiations to end the war.
The US has been a crucial provider of military aid and financial support to Ukraine.
However, Trump’s recent engagement with Moscow has unsettled Kyiv and its European allies, who fear that any peace deal could be on terms unfavourable to Ukraine.
“I think the Russians want to see the war end… But I think they have the cards a little bit, because they’ve taken a lot of territory, so they have the cards,” Trump told reporters late Wednesday.
Under former US President, Joe Biden, Zelensky has been widely praised as a hero, with Washington imposing tough sanctions on Moscow to support Ukraine’s defense against Russian advances.
Trump, however, has taken a different stance, accusing Zelensky of undermining democracy and placing the blame on him for the war, despite Russia launching a full-scale invasion three years ago.
“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Zelensky, who was elected in 2019 for a five-year term, has remained in office under martial law—an emergency measure enacted to guide Ukraine through its ongoing war.
Trump continued his criticism, stating, “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.'”
He further claimed that only his administration was capable of negotiating a successful end to the war.
Despite declining approval ratings, surveys from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicated that trust in Zelensky has never dropped below 50% since the conflict began.
Backlash Over Trump’s Remarks
Trump’s remarks sparked strong reactions, particularly in Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the comments as “wrong and dangerous.”
In the United States, former Vice President Mike Pence also pushed back against Trump’s claims.
“Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives,” Pence wrote on X.
European Union spokesperson, Stefan de Keersmaecker, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing, “Ukraine is a democracy, (President Vladimir) Putin’s Russia is not.”
In contrast, the Kremlin welcomed Trump’s position. Russian government spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov said Moscow “absolutely” agreed with Trump’s assertion that Zelensky should “move fast” to resolve the conflict.
Moscow Encouraged by Diplomatic Developments
The Kremlin has drawn encouragement from recent discussions held in Saudi Arabia, as well as Trump’s criticism of Zelensky.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, described the Saudi talks as “a first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests.”
Notably, Kyiv was excluded from these negotiations, as Washington and Moscow appeared to shift their focus away from Ukraine and its European allies.
Putin suggested that Western nations were now facing the consequences of their opposition to Trump’s political resurgence, stating that they “only have themselves to blame for what’s happening.”
Zelensky Stresses Cooperation with the US
Amid rising tensions over America’s shifting stance, Zelensky struck a diplomatic tone ahead of his meeting with Kellogg, emphasizing the need for productive engagement with Washington.
“It is very important for us that the meeting and our work with America in general be constructive,” Zelensky said.
“Together with America and Europe, peace can be more reliable, and this is our goal,” he added.
Meanwhile, Putin suggested that any meaningful resolution to the war would require improved relations between Moscow and Washington.
“It is impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States,” Putin stated on Wednesday.
