.png)
3 days ago
3
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for "strong" ties with Washington connected Thursday (February 21, 2025), arsenic helium met U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg successful Kyiv a time aft Donald Trump branded the Ukrainian person a "dictator."
Tensions betwixt Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Trump implicit the U.S. President's outreach to Moscow person exploded this week successful escalating barbs traded successful property conferences and connected societal media.
The United States is Ukraine's astir important fiscal and subject backer, but the U.S. president has rattled Kyiv and its European backers by opening talks with Moscow they fearfulness could extremity the warfare connected presumption that reward Vladimir Putin.
The spat has turned idiosyncratic with Mr. Trump falsely stating Mr. Zelenskyy is hugely unpopular among his ain radical and the Ukrainian person successful crook saying Mr. Trump had succumbed to Russian "disinformation".
Amid the warfare of words, Mr. Zelenskyy said Thursday helium had held a "productive meeting" with Mr. Kellogg.
"We had a elaborate speech astir the battlefield situation, however to instrumentality our prisoners of war, and effectual information guarantees," Mr. Zelenskyy said connected societal media aft the meeting.
"Strong Ukraine-U.S. relations payment the full world," helium added.
However, determination was nary associated property league oregon statements aft the discussions, arsenic would typically beryllium expected beryllium for a visiting overseas envoy.
'Unacceptable'
In the United States, immoderate of Mr. Trump's squad doubled down connected their attacks connected Mr. Zelenskyy.
In a station connected his X societal media site, Elon Musk said Mr. Zelenskyy was "despised by the radical of Ukraine."
Mr. Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News that Kyiv's disapproval of the U.S. president was "unacceptable" and urged Mr. Zelenskyy to motion a woody giving preferential entree to Ukraine's captious minerals and earthy resources.
"We're getting each this pushback... they request to code it down and instrumentality a hard look and motion that deal," helium said.
Mr. Trump is calling for Kyiv to manus implicit entree to its mineral wealthiness arsenic compensation for tens of billions of dollars successful U.S. assistance delivered nether his predecessor Joe Biden.
Mr. Zelenskyy rejected a woody projected by Mr. Trump arsenic it did not see "security guarantees" — Kyiv's cardinal request from its Western backers successful immoderate statement with Russia to halt the fighting.
The feud marks a melodramatic reversal from U.S. argumentation nether Mr. Biden, who lauded Mr. Zelenskyy arsenic a hero, shipped immense supplies of arms to Kyiv and hammered Moscow with sanctions.
Mr. Trump has alternatively criticised Mr. Zelenskyy and blamed him for starting the warfare that began with Russia's full-scale penetration 3 years ago.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky amended determination accelerated oregon helium is not going to person a Country left," helium wrote connected his Truth Social level connected Wednesday.
Mr. Zelenskyy was elected successful 2019 for a five-year word and has remained person successful enactment with Ukrainian rules nether martial law, imposed arsenic his state fights for its survival.
While Mr. Zelenskyy's popularity has fallen, the percent of Ukrainians who spot him has ne'er dipped beneath 50% since the struggle started, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Shock astatine Trump attack
Mr. Trump's invective drew daze reactions from Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was "wrong and dangerous" to telephone Mr. Zelenskyy a dictator.
The White House said France's Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Keir Starmer volition sojourn Mr. Trump adjacent week aft European leaders held exigency summits successful caller days implicit however to woody with Mr. Trump's threats to overhaul decades of transatlantic information ties.
The Kremlin, buoyed by its rapprochement with Washington, has hailed Mr. Trump's comments.
Russia, which for years has railed against the U.S. subject beingness successful Europe, wants a reorganisation of the continent's information model arsenic portion of immoderate woody to extremity the Ukraine fighting.
Mr. Putin said Wednesday that U.S. allies "only person themselves to blasted for what's happening," suggesting they were paying the terms for opposing Mr. Trump's instrumentality to the White House.
Neither Kyiv nor Europe were invited to high-level talks betwixt Russia and U.S.'s apical diplomats successful Saudi Arabia earlier this week, deepening fears they are being sidelined.
Published - February 21, 2025 07:40 americium IST
English (US) ·