President Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia said Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a “courageous leader,” a notable break from Mr. Trump, who has harshly criticized him as a “dictator.” 

After meeting Mr. Zelenskyy to discuss a path to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, envoy Keith Kellogg lavished praise upon the Ukrainian president.

“A long and intense day with senior leadership of Ukraine. Extensive and positive discussions with @ZelenskyyUA, the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war and his talented national security team,” Mr. Kellogg wrote on X. 

Mr. Zelenskyy quickly responded on X saying that the meeting with Mr. Kellogg “restores hope and we need strong agreements with the U.S. — agreements that will truly work.” 

The exchange of compliments between Mr. Kellogg and Mr. Zelenskyy comes as Mr. Trump escalates his feud with the Ukrainian president. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump blasted Mr. Zelenskyy as “a dictator without elections” and said he was “doing a terrible job.”

Mr. Trump also accused Mr. Zelenskyy of taking advantage of the U.S. “gravy train” and suggested that he’s responsible for the war with Russia. 

Trump officials met with Russian leadership in Saudi Arabia this week to begin talks about ending the war, which started three years ago this month. Mr. Zelenskyy has complained that Ukrainian officials were excluded from those meetings. 

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