GuShiio.com ① Trump and Zelensky clashed from afar. Trump called Zelensky a “comedian”, accused him of making the United States spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the war in Ukraine, and questioned his leadership ability;
② Zelensky responded that Trump was “living in false information,” emphasizing that Ukraine would not accept any peace agreement that circumvented its participation, and refuted Trump’s statement about the amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Financial Union, February 20 (Editor Niu Zhanlin)At a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict took a major turn for the better, the exchange between Trump and Zelensky quickly turned into a confrontation of widespread criticism and direct insults, and the two men had completely torn apart!
On Wednesday, local time, Trump posted on Truth Social that the Ukraine leader was a “little accomplished comedian” who was actually deceiving the United States to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a war that could not be won and should not have started.
To make matters worse, Trump also questioned Zelensky’s identity and leadership skills, accusing him of refusing the election and having a very low approval rating in Ukraine opinion polls.”The only thing Zelensky is good at is playing with Biden.”
Trump added: “I love Ukraine, but Zelensky did a terrible job, his country was shattered, millions of people died needlessly, and this continues.” He said Ukraine’s leaders “better act quickly” or his country will cease to exist.
These are Trump’s most severe criticisms of Zelensky to date, which will undoubtedly further fuel the controversy, as European leaders have also been dissatisfied with Trump’s peace talks with Russia.
It is worth noting that Zelensky said in an interview with Ukraine media earlier on Wednesday that he respected Trump but believed Trump “lived in false information.” He added,”I hope there is more truth in Trump’s team.”
The day before, senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to negotiate a solution to the war in Ukraine, marking a significant change in U.S. policy towards Russia.
Zelensky reiterated his dissatisfaction with Ukraine being excluded from the Russia-US talks and stressed that Ukraine will not accept any peace agreement that circumvents its participation. He said that the United States held talks with Russia directly in Saudi Arabia, which was equivalent to helping Russia get rid of isolation.
Zelensky refuted Trump’s claim that the United States provided approximately $350 billion in funding to Ukraine. Ukraine’s president has repeatedly emphasized Ukraine’s gratitude, but pointed out that the United States actually provided US$67 billion in military aid and US$31.5 billion in budget support.
Zelensky also criticized a proposal submitted to him by the United States last week that would require Ukraine to hand over hundreds of billions of dollars in future natural resource extraction revenue without providing security guarantees in return.
In response to Trump’s series of criticisms, Zelensky chose to respond hard, highlighting the growing rift between Ukraine and its most important supporter, the United States.
Trump has said he hopes to resolve the war in Ukraine quickly. He repeatedly accused Ukraine and Zelensky of personally responsible for the conflict, and also engaged with Putin on how to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Kellogg, arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday for his first official visit. He said at Kiev train station that he looked forward to “good, substantive talks.” He said his task was to listen and then talk to Trump to “make sure we get this done well.”
