President Donald Trump admitted his relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “maybe got a bit testy” during negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war Thursday, one day before Zelenskyy visits the U.S. to sign a mineral deal—though Trump brushed off a question about whether he still thinks Zelenskyy is a “dictator.”
US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the ... [+]
“Um, did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question,” Trump said when asked if he considers Zelenskyy a dictator, something he claimed in a post on Truth Social on Feb. 19, referring to Ukraine’s lack of elections since Russia’s invasion began.
The Truth Social post—in which Trump said Zelenskyy was “a Dictator without Elections” and criticized how much aid former President Joe Biden sent Ukraine—came after Zelenskyy told reporters he wants the Trump administration “to be more truthful” and said Trump “lives in this disinformation space” created by Russia.
In the same press conference Thursday, Trump said he believes he and Zelenskyy “have had a very good relationship,” though he noted it “maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations have,” referring to his claim that European nations are getting the aid they’ve given to Ukraine back while the U.S. is not.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was with Trump at the press conference, corrected Trump and said they are “not getting all of our” money back from Ukraine, adding most of it was “gifted.”
Trump also said Ukrainian membership in NATO is “not going to happen.”
Forbes reached out to the White House for clarification on Trump’s comment about not believing he called Zelenskyy a dictator.
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Zelenskyy is visiting the White House on Friday to sign what Trump said “is a very big agreement” in which Ukraine will send 50% of the proceeds from its state-owned mineral resources to a jointly owned fund with the U.S.
Trump and Zelenskyy’s relationship has struggled in recent weeks after Trump said he had a “highly productive phone call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which they discussed a mutual desire to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has been ongoing since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. After the call, Trump said he also spoke to Zelenskyy and “the conversation went very well.” Days later, though, Zelenskyy warned Ukraine would not accept a peace deal if only Trump and Russia are involved in the negotiations. Trump has recently made a number of false claims about the war, including that Ukraine started it and that Zelenskyy has an approval rating of 4%—despite 57% of Ukrainians saying they trust him in a poll this month. Trump has also been extremely critical of the Biden administration for the amount of aid it gave Ukraine and has repeatedly said the war would not have begun were he president in 2022.
On Monday, Trump declined to call Putin a dictator. When asked, Trump said: “I don't use those words lightly … I think we're going to see how it all works out,” ABC News reported.
Zelensky Says He Won’t Accept Any Russia Deal Trump Makes Without Ukraine (Forbes)
Trump’s ‘Big Deal’ For Ukraine Minerals? It Might Not Pay Off Soon—If Ever—Experts Say (Forbes)