The war of words between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hit a new nadir on Wednesday after Trump labeled Zelensky a “dictator” who “has done a terrible job.” Trump criticized Zelensky for imposing martial law and suspending elections, ignoring the fact that both actions were taken because of Russia’s invasion and ongoing war.
Reaction has been swift. Both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Trump’s remarks and expressed support for Zelensky’s legitimacy. In contrast, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, praised the Trump administration for having “an understanding of what (Russia) is doing, why we are doing it, and what should be the outcome of it … For the first time we have noticed that [the US] are not simply saying that this is Russian propaganda and disinformation.”
Why does MAGA support Moscow? Anti-Ukraine sentiment dates back to a false MAGA narrative that blamed Ukraine, not Russia, for interference in the 2016 election. Putin also finds favor with Trump supporters for being “completely clear and completely correct on the society-destroying nature of wokeness and postliberal leftism,” in the words of right-wing writer Rod Dreher.
What’s next for Ukraine? The US and Russia agreed in Riyadh to designate teams to negotiate the end of the war and to reestablish diplomatic channels. French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer will meet with Trump in Washington, DC, next week, while Zelensky is meeting with Washington's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, this Thursday. Time is of the essence: On Truth Social, Trump threatened that “Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”