Donald Trump has hit out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again, calling him a “dictator without elections”. Earlier, Zelenskyy said Trump is “trapped in a disinformation bubble” after he appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war. Listen to The World podcast as you scroll.
Wednesday 19 February 2025 17:55, UK
Donald Trump’s words and actions surrounding the war in Ukraine have made headlines across the world this past week.
The US president’s decision to open dialogue with Vladimir Putin, begin peace talks with Russia without inviting Ukraine to the table and his war of words against Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been met by very different reactions in Kyiv and Moscow.
“Zelenskyy is in a huge bind,” says security and defence editor Deborah Haynes in Ukraine.
“He needs American military support to be able to continue to fight this war, and then to have the security guarantees to ensure Russia doesn’t come back and fight again.”
Haynes adds that Zelenskyy appears to be trying to think of alternate solutions to US military support, including looking across Europe.
“He talked about how he’s speaking to European allies, about how they could finance the Ukrainian military, and then also provide money.
“Perhaps that will be to buy American weapons so that his country could defend itself and not have to rely on the United States.”
And while Zelenskyy is struggling, Vladimir Putin appears “cool, calm and collected” in the face of recent events, says Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett.
“You get the sense that Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin are really enjoying this, enjoying the chaos that has been created from that first contact a week ago between Donald Trump and Putin,” says Bennett.
“(They’re) enjoying the advantage that Moscow currently has as they seek to secure as many concessions as possible whilst they have Donald Trump’s ear.”
Donald Trump has come in for widespread criticism for his approach to Vladimir Putin.
Among the latest to chime in is Democrat Chuck Schumer, a man who has previously been at loggerheads with Trump.
Schumer described Trump’s remarks appearing to blame Ukraine for Russia’s invasion as “disgusting”.
His exact words were: “It’s disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin.”
The pair often trade barbs in public, perhaps most notably when Trump labelled Schumer, who is Jewish, a “Palestinian” for disagreements over the war in Gaza.
It’s been another busy day of headline-making remarks.
To catch you up on what’s been said and by whom – and why it matters – our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes has you covered.
Denmark is increasing its defence budget by £5.5bn over the next two years to address military shortcomings, the country’s prime minister has said.
Mette Frederiksen said the country needs a “massive rearmament” to avoid war.
“Does the world look uneasy? Yes. Is there reason to believe it will be over soon? No,” she said.
“There is one message for the chief of defence: Buy, buy, buy.”
For context: Denmark, as well as the rest of NATO, has come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to increase its military capabilities and stop relying on American money.
The latest increases mean Denmark will spend more than 3% of GDP on defence. NATO guidelines suggest each member state should spend at least 2% of GDP on defence.
Donald Trump’s war of words with Volodymyr Zelenskyy signals a “fundamental falling out” between America and Ukraine that has come about over the space of a single weekend, US correspondent Mark Stone says.
Trump has called the Ukrainian president a “terrible leader” and a “dictator without elections” during the last 24 hours, even incorrectly suggesting it was Kyiv that started the war with Russia instead of Vladimir Putin.
“America has been alongside Ukraine throughout, funding it with weapons and with finance in order to help it push Russia back,” says Stone.
“But over the course of just one weekend, we have seen that relationship deteriorate to this extraordinary language.”
Ukraine has also expressed its concern that it was not invited to a meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, insisting it should not be cut out of any peace discussions.
“President Trump is transactional,” adds Stone. “He is looking for short-term wins. He is looking for things that will benefit the United States as he would see it.
“And those short-term wins are, at the moment, leading him to a negotiation table with only Russia on the other side.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister says no one can force his country to give up following remarks from Donald Trump attacking Ukraine and its president.
“We will defend our right to exist,” Andrii Sybiha said on X.
The message came not long after Trump hit out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a scathing Truth Social post (see 15.57 post).
Donald Trump has called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” in a scathing post on Truth Social.
The US president said his Ukrainian counterpart had done a “terrible job” and that he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.
“I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…” he posted.
He said Zelenskyy, who he labelled a “modestly successful comedian”, had talked America into spending $350bn to “go into a war that couldn’t be won”.
“He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle’,” he added.
“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
Trump said the US was “successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia” in the meantime, something that “all admit” only his administration can achieve.
For context: Trump has said several times that Zelenskyy has low approval ratings in Ukraine, suggesting last night he had just 4% approval.
The Ukrainian president’s rating is actually around 50%, similar to Trump’s. Responding to the claims, Zelenskyy has said Trump is “trapped in a disinformation bubble” (see 10.56 post).
The number of deaths is difficult to calculate in the fog of war, but it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people, most of them soldiers, have been killed or injured in the three-year war, rather than the “millions” Trump claimed in his post.
King Charles and the British people have been praised for their “invaluable” commitment to Ukraine.
The monarch visited Imperial College London to see the work being done to support injured service personnel in Ukraine.
The university is working in partnership with Unbroken, Ukraine’s national rehabilitation centre, to develop prosthetic limbs and the essential rehab for injured military and civilians.
When Charles held a video call with Dr Hnat Herych, chief of general surgery at Unbroken, he offered the monarch his “deepest gratitude for the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine”.
“Britain has not only remained our steadfast ally but has also demonstrated true global leadership in defending Ukraine and standing up for freedom,” he said.
“The commitment of Your Majesty and the British people has been invaluable to us and we…hope for Europe’s support in these critical times.”
Paris is playing host to a second meeting of European leaders discussing Ukraine and wider continental security this afternoon.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a dozen leaders – including from Germany, Italy and the UK – in Paris on Monday.
It followed Donald Trump’s decision to speak to Vladimir Putin and commence negotiations with Russia in Saudi Arabia without inviting Ukraine or Europe to the table.
Macron is now hosting another meeting at the Elysee Palace for leaders who had not been included in the first meeting on Monday.
Earlier, a French government spokeswoman said Paris doesn’t “understand the logic” of Trump’s recent comments suggesting Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion.
She also said Trump had made a number of comments on Ukraine over the past few days without consulting his European allies (see 13.00 post).
The German foreign minister has reiterated that Europe needs to be involved over peace talks in Ukraine, but added that current US-Russia negotiations “could become useful” for future progress.
Delegations from Washington and Moscow met in Saudi Arabia yesterday but did not extend invitations to Kyiv or any other European nations.
Annalena Baerbock insisted that peace in Europe “can only be achieved” by Europe but said the start of talks could be beneficial.
“The fact that the Americans are meeting with Russia, also in order to make their Moscow embassy fully functional again, could become useful for future talks,” Baerbock said.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free