Kremlin: Zelensky's Remarks on World Leaders Are Unacceptable

The Kremlin, amid recent tensions between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, accused the Ukrainian president of making "unacceptable remarks" about world leaders while supporting the U.S. president. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, reacted on Thursday to the Ukrainian president's comments regarding Trump's statements, saying, "The tone of his remarks and those of many officials in Kyiv is debatable. Zelensky's declining popularity is a completely obvious trend." Peskov also accused the Ukrainian government of receiving foreign taxpayer aid without transparency and refusing to be accountable for how these funds are spent. Volodymyr Zelensky had reacted negatively on Wednesday to Trump's comments, where the U.S. president referred to him as "a relatively successful comedian" and "a dictator without elections." Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that "Volodymyr Zelensky asked the United States to spend $350 billion, to enter a war that cannot be won, a war that should never have started, but a war that he, without the United States and Trump, would never be able to resolve." He emphasized that "the United States has spent $200 billion more than Europe, and Europe's money is guaranteed, while the U.S. will get nothing back," criticizing former President Joe Biden for not demanding equality. The U.S. president noted that "this war is much more important for Europe than for us" and added, "Zelensky admits that half of the money we sent him is missing, refuses to hold elections, and his popularity in Ukrainian polls is very low." The U.S. president added, "A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move quickly, or there will be no country left for him." He pointed out that the U.S. is "successfully negotiating to end the war with Russia," an action that "everyone acknowledges can only be done by Trump and the Trump administration." Donald Trump emphasized, "I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job; his country has been shattered, and millions have died for no reason." Trump also mentioned the possibility of meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, by the end of the month. He previously expressed dissatisfaction over Ukraine's exclusion from ongoing negotiations between senior U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia. Trump stated, "I am very sorry to hear that they are unhappy about not having a seat at the negotiations; well, they have had a seat at these talks for three years, and long before that." In this context, JD Vance, the U.S. president, announced on Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that negotiations between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could soon lead to peace and an end to the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. vice president stated, "How can we end the war without talking to Russia?" He emphasized Trump’s support for establishing peace in the world, saying, "I truly believe that for the first time in the past three years, we are achieving peace in Europe."