Astrid Lund - Betty MacDonald fan clug organizer: "Trump and Putin have a lot in common. Europe and the world should finally wake up! Calling Selensky a "dictator without elections" leaves me speechless. How could the majority of the American population elect Donald Trump as president? They have done a lot of bad things to themselves and the world and elected their own butcher. It's just so sad!

Astrid Lund - Betty MacDonald fan clug organizer: "Trump and Putin have a lot in common. Europe and the world should finally wake up! Calling Selensky a "dictator without elections" leaves me speechless. How could the majority of the American population elect Donald Trump as president? They have done a lot of bad things to themselves and the world and elected their own butcher. It's just so sad!"----------------------------------------------------------- t-online Ukraine war: Trump calls Selensky a "dictator without elections" Finn Michalski • 14 minutes • 3 minutes reading time US President escalates Trump calls Selensky a "dictator without elections" Volodymyr Selensky (l.) and Donald Trump at a meeting in September: The tone between the two heads of state is getting harsher. The tensions between Ukraine and the USA are increasing. Trump questions Zelensky's legitimacy, and he makes serious accusations against Washington. In the struggle over the future of Ukraine, the tone between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is becoming more tense. On Tuesday, Zelensky said he was annoyed that a US delegation had met in Saudi Arabia on Monday to discuss a possible end to the war with representatives from Russia - without Ukraine's participation. In protest, Zelensky then canceled his trip to Riyadh planned for Wednesday. Trump responded to this with a harsh statement that evening. "I am very disappointed," said the US President at his Mar-a-Lago estate, blaming Zelensky personally for the continuation of the war. He had heard that Kiev was outraged at not having been given a "seat" at the talks table, said Trump. "Today I heard: 'Oh, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You never should have started. You could have made a deal," Trump said to Zelensky, distorting the truth about the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Trump calls for new elections in Ukraine Trump also commented on President Zelensky's alleged poll ratings in Ukraine and claimed - without any evidence - that Zelensky only had an "approval rating of four percent." Trump then called for new elections in Ukraine as soon as peace negotiations made progress. In a post on Wednesday afternoon, Trump went one step further and called Zelensky a "dictator without elections" who had done a "terrible job." Ukrainian electoral law does not provide for elections during a war. Ukraine war: Trump attacks Zelensky - he reacts clearly On Wednesday, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published a new survey on Zelensky's trust ratings - and thereby refuted Trump's claims. The survey, conducted between February 4 and 9, found that 57 percent of respondents continue to express their trust in the Ukrainian president. In December 2024, this figure was five percentage points lower. "Unfortunately, Trump lives in this area of ​​disinformation" The head of the KIIS, Anton Hrushetskyi, commented on the US president's statements: Even if "international allies and partners" doubt "the legitimacy of the president" in the course of possible peace negotiations and push for new elections, "from the point of view of the Ukrainian population, there are no problems with this." The survey clearly shows that the people of Ukraine continue to stand behind their president. President Zelensky also commented on Trump's accusations again on Wednesday in Kyiv. "Unfortunately, President Trump lives in this area of ​​disinformation," said Zelensky. "We have seen this misinformation, we assume that it comes from Russia." Zelensky also accused the Trump administration of having freed Kremlin chief Putin from isolation. "I believe the USA has helped Putin to break out of years of isolation," said Zelensky, referring to the talks between the USA and Russia in Saudi Arabia. "None of this has a positive effect on Ukraine." Zelensky renewed his demand for security guarantees. "We want security guarantees this year because we want to end the war this year. I am defending Ukraine, I cannot sell our country. That's all," he said, referring to Trump's proposal to grant the USA preferential access to Ukraine's raw materials in return for its support. Zelensky had rejected this proposal.