The war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky erupted on Wednesday in a remarkable series of tit-for-tat accusations highlighting a growing schism between Washington and Kyiv. The increasingly harsh exchanges come in the wake of U.S.-Russia negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and the sudden move to normalize relations between the U.S. and Russia. The talks in Riyadh did not provide Ukraine with a seat at the negotiating table.
In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday morning, Trump called Zelensky a “moderately successful comedian” and strongly implied a lack of support for Ukraine and its leader.
“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump stated. “…I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…..”
Trump also repeated his accusations about U.S. aid for Ukraine.
Zelensky “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle. 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.”
Those figures, however, contradict information compiled by the Kiel Institute For The World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker. Those figures show that Europe – counted as the sum of the EU and individual member states – has allocated $137.9 billion in help for Ukraine, which is more than the nearly $119 billion from the U.S. More than half of the U.S. aid to Ukraine – $66.5 billion – was for direct security assistance in the form of donated weapons, according to Pentagon figures.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed Trump’s sentiments.
“The idea that Zelensky 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 told the Daily Mail.
Trump’s social media comments followed statements Zelensky made on Wednesday accusing Trump of using Russian talking points in several disparaging remarks the American leader made about Zelensky following the peace talks held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Unfortunately, President Trump – I have great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us – unfortunately lives in this disinformation space,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. “I wish Trump’s team had more truth. Because none of this is having a positive effect on Ukraine.”
Zelensky was reacting to Trump’s suggestion that he was not a legitimate leader and only had a 4% approval rating.
“As we are talking about the 4% [approval rating for me] we have seen this information,” Zelensky explained. “We understand it is coming from Russia. We understand that and we have proof that these numbers are being discussed between America and Russia.”
He did not share that proof, however, according to the latest research published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky.
Zelensky also lashed out at Trump’s comment that Ukraine started the war, as well as the agreement struck between the U.S. and Russia paving the path toward a peace deal. That four-point plan seeks greater cooperation between Moscow and Washington and subsequent comments by top U.S. negotiators suggested Ukraine might have to give up territory without reciprocal concessions by Russia.
“They are letting Putin out of isolation and I think Putin and the Russian people are very happy, because they are involved in discussions and yesterday there were signals that they are the victims. That is something new.”
Even former Vice President Mike Pence weighed in to support Zelensky, offering a public reminder on social media that Russia started the war on Feb. 24, 2022.
“Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war,” Pence said on X. “Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) also took issue with Trump’s stance.
“It’s disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor. “It is shameful to hear the president repeat Putin’s propaganda while laying the groundwork for negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine’s expense.”
Meanwhile, Russian state TV and other state-controlled media “reacted with glee to what they portrayed as Trump’s cold shoulder to Zelensky,” The Associated Press reported.
“‘Trump isn’t even trying to hide his irritation with Zelensky,’” the Rossiya channel said at the top of its newscast, according to the wire service.
“Trump steamrolled Zelensky for his complaints about the talks with Russia,” the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda said, AP added.
Ultra-nationalistic Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin also expressed joy over the angry discourse between the American and Ukrainian leaders.
“Checkmate,” he stated on X. “Zelensky and his regime is over. Now he will be betrayed literally by everybody. Terrible destiny – to lose all – power, country, esteem, soul (if there was any), respect. And soon life I presume.”
As for Ukrainian support for the war, “the data shows that support for continuing the fight for victory among Ukrainians has decreased since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022,” the Ukrainian SIC-Group polling company told us. “At that time, 73% of respondents preferred fighting for victory. In 2023, this number dropped to 63%, and by 2024, there has been a noticeable increase in war fatigue among the population.”
However, “it is important to emphasize that this does not mean support for peace talks between the U.S. and Russia without Ukraine’s participation,” SIC-Group explained. “Representatives of Ukrainian civil society strongly condemn such negotiations, stressing that any agreements about Ukraine without its direct involvement are unacceptable and contrary to international law.”
Putin, meanwhile, offered his own take on the peace process.
He said that Kyiv is not being cut out of the peace talks. Offering a readout of his previous conversation with Trump, Putin confirmed that he was told Ukraine would be part of any negotiations.
The Russian leader expressed concern that Trump, who promised to quickly end the war, has not ramped up the tempo on talks.
“I’m surprised by Trump’s restraint toward allies who behaved rudely,” Putin told Russian reporters, adding that he “hasn’t seen Donald in a long time. We don’t have a close relationship…”
Putin also told Russian media that he would be “happy to meet” with Trump, adding that the two “met and discussed U.S.-Russia relations” during Trump’s first term.
Amid the verbal sparring between Trump and Zelensky, Keith Kellogg, the U.S. peace envoy to Ukraine and Russia, arrived in Kyiv and struck a far more moderating tone.
“We understand the need for security guarantees. We understand… the importance of the sovereignty of this nation,” Kellogg told reporters. “Part of my mission is to sit and listen and see what your concerns are.”
Zelensky has invited Kellogg to tour the front lines to get a better sense of how the war is going and the challenges faced by Ukraine. Whether this visit will lower the temperature of rhetoric between Ukraine and its erstwhile major benefactor remains to be seen.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com