Egypt Daily News – U.S. President Donald Trump described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator” who dragged the United States into an unwinnable war. In a post on his platform, Truth Social, Trump criticized the substantial financial support provided to Ukraine, stating, “Think about it, the modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, talked the United States into spending $350 billion to enter a war that cannot be won, which should never have started, but without the U.S. and ‘Trump,’ he would never have been able to settle it.”
Trump further emphasized the disproportionate financial burden on the U.S., noting, “The U.S. has spent $200 billion more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the U.S. gets nothing. Why didn’t sleepy Joe Biden demand equality, given that this war is more important to Europe than it is to us, we have a big, beautiful ocean as a buffer.”
He also accused Zelensky of mismanagement, claiming, “Moreover, Zelensky admits that half the money we sent him is ‘missing’. He refuses to hold elections, his popularity is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a violin’. A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move quickly or there won’t be a country left.”
Trump concluded by asserting his confidence in negotiating an end to the war with Russia, a task he believes only he and his administration can achieve. He criticized Biden for failing to attempt peace negotiations and suggested that Zelensky might be motivated by maintaining an “easy source of profit.” Trump expressed his love for Ukraine but condemned Zelensky’s leadership, stating, “I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and millions have died unnecessarily and so it goes.”
On Tuesday evening, Trump reiterated his criticism of Zelensky, calling him an incompetent leader with low popularity and emphasizing that the call for elections in Ukraine comes from him and other countries, not just Russia. He also expressed increased confidence in talks with Russia following the meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that dialogue between Russia and the U.S. does not require intermediaries and dismissed Europe’s negative assessment of the Riyadh meeting. Putin noted that the discussions in Riyadh were friendly and aimed at restoring trust between Moscow and Washington. He reiterated Russia’s readiness to return to negotiations on resolving the Ukrainian crisis, emphasizing that Russia has never refused to negotiate.
The talks in Riyadh, which concluded on Tuesday afternoon, involved high-level representatives from both countries. The Russian delegation included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov, and the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev. The U.S. delegation was represented by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Lavrov revealed that Russia and the U.S. agreed during the talks to avoid any confrontations between the two countries and to soon formulate a process for resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Dmitriev described the dialogue as positive, productive, and marked by mutual respect and equality.
The U.S. State Department announced that Lavrov and Rubio agreed to form two negotiating teams to address the Ukrainian issue. Rubio also highlighted the agreement between Washington and Moscow to resume full operations at their respective embassies.
