🔥 Tensions flare as U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engage in a heated exchange following a high-level U.S.-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The recent talks, attended by senior officials from both nations, set a path toward peace. However, Ukraine wasn’t invited, leading Zelenskyy to postpone his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia. \"Negotiations should not take place behind our backs,\" he emphasized.
In response, Trump voiced his confidence that the conflict would soon end, suggesting that Ukraine had ample time to negotiate a deal. \"You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,\" Trump asserted, shifting the blame to Kyiv, a stark contrast to the longstanding U.S. stance.
Trump didn’t stop there. He claimed Zelenskyy’s approval rating had plummeted to a mere \"4 percent\" and called for new presidential elections in Ukraine. This remark comes despite Ukraine having postponed its 2024 elections.
Zelenskyy fired back, accusing Trump of falling for Russian \"disinformation\" and stated, \"I believe that the United States helped (Vladimir) Putin break out of years of isolation.\" He also highlighted the substantial U.S. support, including $67 billion in military aid and $31.5 billion for Ukraine’s budget, countering Trump’s accusations.
The war of words intensified when Trump labeled Zelenskyy a \"Dictator without Elections\" on his social media platform, Truth Social, urging him to \"move fast or he is not going to have a country left.\" Zelenskyy responded by pointing out his approval rating remains above 50 percent, according to recent polls from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
As this exchange continues, the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine remains under the spotlight, with both leaders standing firm in their positions amid the ongoing conflict.
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Explainer: What to know about Trump and Zelenskyy's exchange of barbs?
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