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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused former U.S. President Donald Trump of operating within a “disinformation space,” following Trump’s false assertion that Ukraine was responsible for initiating the war with Russia.
Zelensky Rebuts Trump
Zelensky’s remarks, made during a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday, mark one of the most public exchanges of accusations between the two leaders since the war began nearly three years ago. He forcefully rebutted Trump’s claims while reaffirming Ukraine’s stance that any resolution to the war cannot occur without Kyiv’s direct involvement.
“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 stated.
Zelensky’s comments came in response to high-level talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. The meeting, which excluded Ukraine, focused on negotiating an end to the war and restoring diplomatic channels.
Zelensky Expresses Concern On Direct Talks Between U.S. and Russia
While acknowledging that any country has the right to engage in bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia, Zelensky expressed concern that the direct talks between the U.S. and Russia benefited Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This helped Putin out of his long isolation,” Zelensky said, referring to Russia’s diplomatic estrangement since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv’s exclusion from the discussions prompted Trump’s Tuesday remarks, in which he launched into a tirade filled with inaccuracies.
Trump’s Claims on War’s Origins
Speaking late Tuesday, Trump criticized Ukraine for not being included in the talks, questioning why the conflict had not ended yet and falsely suggesting that Ukraine was responsible for starting it.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should’ve ended it after three years. You should’ve never started it. You could’ve made a deal,” Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump’s claim echoes a narrative long promoted by the Kremlin. The war’s roots trace back to 2014 when Russia illegally annexed Crimea and backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia escalated its aggression in February 2022 by launching a full-scale invasion, sending tanks across the border, bombing Ukrainian cities, and attempting to assassinate Zelensky.
Zelensky Defends His Legitimacy Amid Trump’s Attacks
Trump did not stop at misrepresenting the war’s origins. He also appeared to question Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader, repeating another Kremlin-backed narrative.
“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law,” Trump said, further claiming—incorrectly—that Zelensky’s approval rating stood at just 4%.
Zelensky was elected in 2019 with over 73% of the vote. While his term was originally set to end in May 2024, elections have been suspended due to the ongoing martial law imposed after Russia’s invasion. Under Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held during martial law.
Addressing Trump’s claim about his approval rating, Zelensky dismissed it as misinformation originating from Russia.
“The claim that my approval rating is 4% comes from Russia. We have evidence that these numbers were discussed between the U.S. and Russia,” Zelensky said.
