Trump claims russia leads in Ukraine peace talks
U.S. President Donald Trump stated in an interview with the BBC that Russia is "having the cards" in discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, because it has "taken a lot of territory" of the country, the British broadcaster reported on Thursday.
Speaking to the BBC while flying from Florida, where he attended an investment meeting, to Washington, Trump claimed that Russia desires to end the war.
Trump: Russia is calling the shots
"I think the Russians want to see the war end. But I think they have the cards a little bit, because, you know, they've taken a lot of territory, so they have the cards," he said. Earlier that day, Trump referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator" twice.
Trump intensified his criticism of the Ukrainian president after Zelensky stated that the U.S. president "is living in this disinformation space." Zelensky made this remark in response to Trump's claims that the Ukrainian president had only four percent support among citizens.
"He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden 'like a fiddle,'" Trump said.
Zelensky's five-year term was supposed to end in May 2024, but elections have not been scheduled because Ukraine has been under martial law since it was attacked by Russia in February 2022, the BBC noted. The broadcaster cited a poll conducted in early February by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which showed that 57% of Ukraine's residents have confidence in Zelensky.
Europe criticizes Trump's statements
European leaders criticized Trump's recent statements about Ukraine and its president. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remarked that "it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy."
