**US President Trump Denies Calling Ukraine’s Zelensky a Dictator**
US President Donald Trump has said he can’t believe he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator”. Trump made the comment at a briefing with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House.
The US president had earlier referred to Zelensky as a “dictator without elections” in a post on his Truth Social account. However, Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
**Zelensky’s Legitimacy**
Major Ukrainian constitutional lawyers and legal experts believe the claim that Zelensky ceased to be a legitimate president when his term ended on May 20 is false. A recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, marking a five-point increase since December.
**US-Russia Relations**
Trump expressed confidence that any deal reached between the US and Russia would hold. He also said he doesn’t believe Putin would launch another invasion of Ukraine once a peace deal is reached.
The Trump administration has disrupted years of US foreign policy towards Russia. US and Russian officials have resumed high-level bilateral talks, holding meetings in Riyadh on Feb 18 and Istanbul on Feb 27.
**Russia’s Reputation**
In contrast to the US president’s comments about Zelensky, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) head Kyrylo Budanov said that if Russia doesn’t end the war by 2026, they will lose their chance for world leadership.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com
