President Trump on Thursday sidestepped a question about whether he would apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for calling him a “dictator” last week.

Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House on Friday where the two leaders are expected to sign a controversial deal giving the U.S. access to the nation’s rare precious metals.

“I think we are going to have a very good meeting tomorrow,” Mr. Trump said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“We are going to get along really well. We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for them,” Mr. Trump said.

Last week, Mr. Trump called Mr. Zelenskyy a “dictator,” escalating tensions between the two. The comment came after the Ukrainian president accused Mr. Trump of living in a Russian “disinformation bubble.”

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.