Trump 'lives' in Russian 'disinformation space': Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to President Trump's latest rebuke, calling out Trump for living in a Russian "disinformation space."
“Unfortunately, President Trump, I have great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us, unfortunately lives in this disinformation space,” Zelensky told reporters early Wednesday.
His claim follows Trump's news conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday evening, where he criticized the Ukrainian leader and claimed his approval ratings were low.
Zelensky also pressed Trump and U.S. officials to "be more truthful." The request follows a high-stakes meeting in Saudi Arabia between Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials, who kicked off discussions about how to end the nearly three-year war and renew ties between the two countries.
Ukraine was notably not invited to the negotiation table — a move Zelensky has denounced. He's urged European officials to muscle their way into the discussions and argued that no peace agreement should be accomplished without his country in the mix.
Trump on Tuesday repeated his previous claims that he could end the Eastern European conflict and seemed to blame Ukraine’s leadership for the war, claiming that Zelensky “should have never started it.”
“But today I heard, ‘Oh, well we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years,” Trump said from his Florida resort.
“You should’ve ended it in three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," he continued. "I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land, and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished and not one dome would have been knocked down. But they chose not to do it that way.”
Zelensky's reply came ahead of his meeting with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Gen. Keith Kellogg, who arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader said he was "ready to go to the front line" with Kellogg so that he could "see for himself" what was unfolding on the ground.
Russia started the full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, after repeatedly warning Kyiv could not join the NATO alliance and stationing troops near Ukraine’s borders. The invasion came eight years after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Topics
-
Trump and Zelensky’s war of words
The US and Ukrainian presidents get into a public row.BBC News - 1d -
Congratulations to insults... Trump and Zelensky, in their own words
The US and Ukrainian presidents, who have traded barbs in the past, began a new war of words this week.BBC News - 20h -
Trump: Zelensky 'has no cards,' 'shouldn't be at meetings' with Russia
President Trump on Friday lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he did not think it was important for Zelensky to attend negotiations about the war in Ukraine. Trump in an ...The Hill - 1h -
Thursday Briefing: Trump and Zelensky Feud Over Peace Talks
Plus, Cambodia’s returned treasures.The New York Times - 1d -
Zelensky Meets Kellogg, U.S. Envoy to Ukraine, Amid Public Spat With Trump
Keith Kellogg and President Volodymyr Zelensky were expected to discuss possible paths to ending the war and ways to defuse tensions between Washington and Kyiv.The New York Times - 20h -
Trump's Ukraine envoy calls Zelensky 'embattled and courageous leader'
President Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky an "embattled and courageous leader" after meetings in Kyiv on Friday, a notable shift from ...The Hill - 3h -
Poland’s Andrzej Duda to meet Donald Trump on Saturday– Europe live
Polish president to fly to Washington, making him the first European leader to be welcomed by Trump in the White House, reports Polish media. A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in ...The Guardian - 57m -
Trump 2nd term live updates: Poll finds only a third approve of Musk's role
President Donald Trump's administration is continuing its radical effort to cut much of the federal government.ABC News - 23m -
Trump says he ‘had very good talks with Putin’ and again criticizes Ukraine – live
US president also accuses Kyiv of talking ‘tough’ but having few bargaining chips in latest remarks in feud with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy. National security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd ...The Guardian - 30m -
A Signal Update Fends Off a Phishing Technique Used in Russian Espionage
Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages. Signal has pushed out new safeguards.Wired - 2d
More from The Hill
-
Pepperdine University says Mindy Kaling's new Netflix series 'misappropriated' its basketball team
Pepperdine University has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery over Mindy Kaling’s upcoming show "Running Point,” alleging trademark infringement regarding its basketball ...The Hill - 37m -
Hamas’s failure to return Israeli mother’s body strains ceasefire
A tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been strained by outrage over Hamas’s alleged transfer of an unknown body to Israel in the place of Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother kidnapped and ...The Hill - 40m -
Texas AG adds gender screening request to NCAA lawsuit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a judge on Thursday to require the NCAA to start gender testing for athletes who compete in women’s sports. The request for a temporary injunction adds a ...The Hill - 42m -
USAID aid freeze triggers health care crisis in Africa
USAID's 90-day freeze on all services has resulted in a significant loss of trust, critical health care, food aid, and medical supplies, causing life-threatening consequences for Malawian patients, ...The Hill - 47m -
US Marshals Service deputizes Musk's security team: reports
The U.S. Marshals Service has deputized some of tech billionaire Elon Musk's private security detail, giving them specific rights and protections of federal law enforcement agents, multiple outlets ...The Hill - 50m
More in Politics
-
Pepperdine University says Mindy Kaling's new Netflix series 'misappropriated' its basketball team
Pepperdine University has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery over Mindy Kaling’s upcoming show "Running Point,” alleging trademark infringement regarding its basketball ...The Hill - 37m -
Hamas’s failure to return Israeli mother’s body strains ceasefire
A tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been strained by outrage over Hamas’s alleged transfer of an unknown body to Israel in the place of Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother kidnapped and ...The Hill - 40m -
Texas AG adds gender screening request to NCAA lawsuit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a judge on Thursday to require the NCAA to start gender testing for athletes who compete in women’s sports. The request for a temporary injunction adds a ...The Hill - 42m -
USAID aid freeze triggers health care crisis in Africa
USAID's 90-day freeze on all services has resulted in a significant loss of trust, critical health care, food aid, and medical supplies, causing life-threatening consequences for Malawian patients, ...The Hill - 47m -
US Marshals Service deputizes Musk's security team: reports
The U.S. Marshals Service has deputized some of tech billionaire Elon Musk's private security detail, giving them specific rights and protections of federal law enforcement agents, multiple outlets ...The Hill - 50m