The echo of President Donald Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues. As VOA correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, Mr. Trump has sharpened his stance on Mr. Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator for not holding elections since the Russian attack began in February 2022. In an effort to ease tensions with the United States, Mr. Zelensky said Thursday evening that the strong relationship between the two countries serves the entire world and that talks with President Trump's envoy "restored hope" for a deal with Washington.
The Ukrainian cities of Odessa and Kiev were rocked by Russian attacks on Thursday, developments that come as Europe is reacting to claims by US President Donald Trump that it was Ukraine that started the war with Russia and that President Volodymyr Zelensky is a "dictator" for not holding elections.
"Three years ago, one country illegally attacked another and since then, Ukrainians have fought for their freedom," said John Healey, the UK's Defence Secretary.
Some longtime allies are noticing a shift in American security partnerships.
"Europe is realizing that it cannot delegate its security to other powers. The French government stands by Ukraine as it fights for its freedom, but also for our European security," said Sophie Primas, a spokeswoman for the French government.
In the US Congress, President Trump's stances towards Ukraine have prompted strong criticism from Democrats.
"When President Trump demands elections before some kind of ceasefire or just and lasting peace is reached (in Ukraine), it creates misunderstandings or misinterpretations about who is the aggressor and who is the victim. Russian President Putin was never elected in a free and fair election," said Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Some Republican lawmakers also rejected claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia - while others have joined President Trump in calling for elections in Ukraine.
"The president is right that there hasn't been an election for a long time, and they're essentially in a state of emergency under martial law. That's not a good thing. If they claim to be defending democracy, they need to do that in practice," said Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of the Security Council, wrote on the social network X that: "if you had told me just three months ago that these were the words of the American president, I would have laughed out loud."
Meanwhile, expert Liana Fix told Voice of America that President Trump's criticism of Mr. Zelenskyy is a clear repetition of Russia's false claims about Ukraine.
"We should see this as a move by Donald Trump to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and at worst Trump defending Russia's positions," said Ms. Fix, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
On Thursday, Mr. Zelenskyy met in Kiev with the US envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, but a planned press conference by the two senior officials was canceled at the request of the United States. After the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “strong Ukraine-US relations are in the interest of the whole world,” in an apparent attempt to ease tensions with Washington.
Mr. Zelenskyy described his meeting with President Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, as productive. He said they discussed "the situation on the battlefield, the return of prisoners of war and security guarantees" for Ukraine if the war ends. He added that the talks with Mr. Kellogg "restore hope" for reaching an agreement with Washington.
"We need a strong agreement with America, an agreement that will really work. Economic interests and security interests should always go hand in hand. The details of the agreement are important. The better the details are drafted, the better the result," he said.
US envoy for the war in Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on Friday that he had held "comprehensive and positive" talks with President Zelenskiy.
On the social network X, Mr. Kellogg added that during his visit to the Ukrainian capital, he had spoken, as he said, with Mr. Zelenskiy's "talented national security team."/ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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