«I can't believe I could say that»: Trump answers whether he still thinks Zelenskyy is a dictator
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- Anna Hakman
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20:47, 27 February, 2025
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Donald Trump. Photo: Getty ImagesDonald Trump has denied his previous statement in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator.
This is reported by Reuters.
As you know, on 19 February, Donald Trump criticised Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him «a dictator without elections» and accusing him of embezzling American funds. In addition, according to him, Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits that half of the money sent by the United States «has disappeared».
Today, on 27 February, in response to a question about whether he still considers Zelenskyy a dictator, Trump denied it, saying:
«Did I say that? I can't believe I could say that».
To recap, Trump's National Security Adviser Mike Volz said that relations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy were deteriorating.
In turn, US Vice President J.D. Vance also criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his public statements against Donald Trump.
According to Vance, «publicly slandering» Trump will only worsen the situation, and attempts to change his mind through the media will not work. This statement came a few hours after Zelensky accused Trump of living in «the disinformation space» created by Russia.
Peace talks
Earlier, Donald Trump said that the United States was engaged in constructive negotiations on a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In particular, he expressed hope that agreements would be reached as soon as possible.
He also claimed that Washington had already made some progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In addition, Donald Trump indicated that his administration had already held discussions with Moscow, but did not specify who participated in such a dialogue. Also, during his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table in negotiations on Ukraine.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations between the United States and Russia to end the war without Kyiv's participation pose a threat to everyone.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the sake of peace, despite his hostile attitude. He also added that he did not see a ready-made peace plan from Trump, but conveyed his readiness to negotiate.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not recognise the loss of its territories, but is ready for diplomatic solutions to return them if it becomes a NATO member.