WASHINGTON/KYIV, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a "dictator" on Wednesday and warned he had to move quickly to secure peace or risk losing his country, deepening a feud between the two leaders that has alarmed European officials.
The extraordinary attacks - a day after Trump claimed Ukraine was to blame for Russia's 2022 invasion - heightened concerns among U.S. allies in Europe that Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict could benefit Moscow.
Less than a month into his presidency, Trump has upended U.S. policy on the war, ending a campaign to isolate Russia with a Trump-Putin phone call and talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials that have sidelined Ukraine.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote on social media, using an alternate spelling for the Ukrainian president's name.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said no one could force his country to give in.
"We will defend our right to exist," Sybiha said on X.
Later in the day while speaking to investors and executives in Miami, Trump doubled down on his comments, again calling Zelenskiy a "dictator" and suggesting the Ukrainian president wanted to prolong the war to "keep the gravy train going," a reference to U.S. military aid.
Zelenskiy's five-year term was supposed to end in 2024, but elections cannot be held under martial law, which Ukraine imposed in February 2022 in response to Russia's invasion.
Trump's outburst followed Zelenskiy's comments on Tuesday that the U.S. president was parroting Russian disinformation when he asserted that Ukraine "should never have started" the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday warned Zelenskiy against "badmouthing" Trump.
"Everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration," Vance said in his West Wing office, the Daily Mail reported.
Russia has seized some 20% of Ukraine and is slowly but steadily gaining territory in the east. Moscow said its "special military operation" responded to an existential threat posed by Kyiv's pursuit of NATO membership. Ukraine and the West call Russia's action an imperialist land grab.
The Ukrainian leader said Trump's assertion that his approval rating was just 4% was Russian disinformation and that any attempt to replace him would fail.
"We have evidence that these figures are being discussed between America and Russia. That is, President Trump ... unfortunately lives in this disinformation space," Zelenskiy told Ukrainian TV.
The latest poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, from early February, found 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskiy.
Following Trump's latest remarks, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Zelenskiy "sits in office after duly-held elections." When asked who started the war, Dujarric responded that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was "false and dangerous" for Trump to call Zelenskiy a dictator, German newspaper Spiegel reported.
U.S. security ally Australia, which has provided A$1.5 billion in support to Ukraine in its war with Russia, rejected Trump's assertions about Ukraine.
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said "the war in Ukraine must be resolved on Ukraine's terms, because the aggressor here is Russia". The country's opposition leader Peter Dutton said bluntly: "I think President Trump has got it wrong".
"Australia should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine. It's a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation. Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch," said Dutton.
A few of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress said they disagreed that Zelenskiy was a dictator and that Ukraine bore responsibility for Russia's invasion. But they stopped short of criticizing Trump directly, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune - a longtime supporter of Ukraine - saying Trump needed "space" to work on a peace deal.
Photo from Reuters
