Trump on calling Zelensky a dictator: 'Did I say that?'
President Trump on Thursday backtracked on his recent sharp criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the U.S. aims to strike a deal to end the war between Kyiv and Moscow.
Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, tempered his comments about Zelensky, including a social media post last week in which Trump called Zelensky a “dictator with elections.”
When asked by a reporter whether he still believed Zelensky was a dictator, Trump responded: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”
“We want to work with him, President Zelensky … and we will work with him,” Trump said. “I think the president and I actually have had a very good relationship. It maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations had.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed European aid for Ukraine was in the form of a loan, while the U.S. provided aid that it would not recoup. Starmer, like French President Emmanuel Macron did alongside Trump on Monday, interjected to note that much of Europe's assistance for Ukraine was a “gift.”
Trump has in recent days become increasingly critical of Zelensky as U.S. officials pushed for a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump last week raised eyebrows when he called Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” claimed he was doing a “terrible job” and suggested he was responsible for the start of the war. At one point, Trump said he did not think it was important for Zelensky to be part of meetings on peace negotiations because the Ukrainian leader “has no cards.”
Monday marked three years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February after amassing troops on the border and demanding a ban on Ukraine ever joining NATO. The invasion took place nearly a decade after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Zelensky is slated to visit the White House on Friday as the two countries finalize an agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals supply. Proponents of the deal have suggested the economic partnership would give the U.S. a vested interest in protecting Ukraine against future threats from Russia.
Trump campaigned on ending the war in Ukraine, and he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month in an effort to kickstart ceasefire talks. Trump said Ukraine joining NATO was "not gonna happen."
Asked Thursday whether he thought he could trust Putin, Trump said he thought the Russian leader would keep his word.
"Trust and verify, let's call it that. … You have to verify, because you never know what’s going to happen. I know a lot of people you’d say, ‘No chance that they would ever deceive you,’ and they’re the worst people in the world,” Trump told reporters.
“You never know what you're getting,” he added. “No, I have confidence that if we make a deal, it's going to hold.”
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