US and Ukraine leaders have a fierce war of words

Harsh words

In a post on the social network Truth Social on the evening of February 19, President Donald Trump made rare personal attacks on Mr. Zelensky, the leader of the country that the US has strongly supported in the conflict that has lasted for nearly 3 years. Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Zelensky for running the country "in a terrible way" with a very low approval rating. "A dictator without elections, Mr. Zelensky better hurry or he will no longer have a country," Mr. Trump wrote.

Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator' in war of words over peace talks

During Trump's first term (2017 - 2021), the relationship between the two leaders encountered many difficulties when Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for pressuring Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The relationship became even more tense when the Trump 2.0 administration, upon returning, quickly engaged in dialogue with Russia at

Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump met in New York in September 2024

Saudi Arabia without Ukraine's participation. On February 18, Mr. Trump even unexpectedly changed the US's long-standing position when he accused Ukraine of starting the conflict with Russia. In addition, Mr. Trump also called on Mr. Zelensky to hold elections, although they are being postponed because Ukraine is under martial law due to the war.

The Ukrainian leader responded that Mr Trump was "living in a world of disinformation" and had helped Russia "break its isolation over the years" by negotiating, according to AFP. At a business event later, Mr Trump said the negotiations were a big step towards ending the conflict, while admitting that Russia "holds the cards" by gaining so much territory.

President Zelensky and President Trump

Allies fight back

Underlying the war of words, observers say, is growing concern in Europe and within the United States that the White House's "u-turn" on Russia policy and support for Ukraine over the past three years could lead to the biggest geopolitical reshuffle since World War II.

Trump's shift in tone toward the Zelensky administration and his embrace of some of Russia's positions has drawn backlash from Ukraine, European leaders and US lawmakers, including some Republican lawmakers. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz acknowledged that the relationship between the two leaders was "clearly headed in the wrong direction" but noted that his comments about Zelensky did not amount to a US attack on the Ukrainian people. US Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a longtime supporter of Ukraine, did not comment on Trump's remarks, saying only that the president needed space to find a peace deal.

Mr. Putin explains why Russia-US meeting without Ukraine, EU

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the White House owner's comments about Mr. Zelensky "wrong and dangerous", while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called and expressed support for the man he called "the democratically elected leader of Ukraine". UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that Mr. Zelensky was leading the country after "legitimate elections". According to Reuters, a survey from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from early February showed that 57% of Ukrainians trusted Mr. Zelensky.

On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin called the West's reaction to the dialogue in Saudi Arabia on Ukraine "hysterical", and said that the dialogue with the US is the first step to restoring work in many areas of common interest.

Russia recaptures most of Kursk territory

General Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said on February 20 that Russia had regained more than 800 square kilometers of territory controlled by Ukraine in the Kursk region, equivalent to 64%, according to Reuters. In addition, Russia is controlling 75% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and more than 99% of the Luhansk region in Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented on this information.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lanh-dao-my-ukraine-khau-chien-kich-liet-185250220212513625.htm