The diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine may be hitting a brick wall as the war torn country faces an uncertain future as President Trump labels Zelenskyy a “dictator”, urging him to move fast or he is not going to have a country left. This is coming in the wake of escalated tensions after US-Russia mediation talks over Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
The exchange of criticisms between the two Presidents have escalated on Wednesday after Trump was quoted as saying that though he loves Ukraine but insisted President Zelenskyy has done a “bad and terrible job” and has shattered his country due to the Russian war.
“I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and millions have unnecessarily died,” Trump says in a post on Truth Social.
“Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” he added.
Trump’s harsh words came in response to an earlier statement by Zelenskyy, who said that the US president was living in Russia’s “disinformation space,” following Trump’s allegations that Zelenskyy’s role as president was illegitimate due to no elections in Ukraine.
Ukraine was scheduled to hold a presidential election in March or April 2024, concluding Zelenskyy’s first five-year term. The vote was postponed as the country’s constitution does not permit elections under martial law, which was declared on 24 February 2022, the day when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin repeatedly sought to use the delay to portray Zelenskyy as “illegitimate,” a claim rejected by Kyiv as a distortion of the constitution.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said that he is open to discussing elections in Ukraine, but this is not something that his compatriots want due to concerns that lifting martial law could weaken the country’s defence.
“I am focusing on the survival of our country. I’ve been doing this throughout my term,” he said.
