US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Ukraine to accept the peace deal Washington negotiated with Moscow in Saudi Arabia, without the participation of Kyiv, to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Trump on Wednesday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ˇ°better move fastˇ± to negotiate and end the war or risk not having a nation to lead.
Trump, who during the election campaign had bragged about ending the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of assuming office, failed to deliver on his promise, even after a month as US President.
But when the US began negotiations with Russia to end the war that would complete three years in a few days, Ukraine gave it a miss and Zelenskyy made it clear that his country would not accept any deal.
Trump, who has been openly pro-Russia, did not take this kindly and showered Zelenskyy with insults, and even blamed him for starting the war.
Zelenskyy further angered Trump by claiming that the US President was falling into a Russian disinformation trap, after the latter stated the Ukrainian President's approval rating was just 4 per cent.
ˇ°We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia,ˇ± Zelenskyy said in response.
Trump responded to the criticism through a social media post, riddled with personal insults on Zelenskyy.
"Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldnˇŻt be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ˇ®TRUMP,ˇŻ will never be able to settle,ˇ± Trump said on TruthSocial.
Trump also called Zelenskyy a ˇ°dictator without elections," lines similar to those used by Russia to delegitimise the Ukrainian president.
Zelenskyy, a former television comedian who became the Ukrainian president in May 2019, was to seek re-election in April 2024. But due to the ongoing invasion by Russia, the Ukrainian presidential election has been delayed.
In 2023, Zelenskyy had claimed that an election would further lead to a political divide at a time when the country should be focused on defence.
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