The president of the United States, Donald Trumphe accused Ukraine of being responsible for war with Russia. In addition, he said that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyis a dictator who has an approval index in his country of only 4%, practically exploding the bilateral relationship that had been strengthened in these three years of war conflict. What is true in these statements?
On Tuesday and Wednesday there were days when the crossings of statements tension the atmosphere in kyiv and Washington, having as a backdrop the approach between Trump and Vladimir Putin.
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Zelensky He said it was a “surprise” for him that Ukraine He has not been invited to conversations in Saudi Arabia Between the United States and Russia where you were going to talk about the end of war. Besides, He assured that the magnate “lives in a disinformation space” created by the Russians.
Trump blamed Ukraine for war
In a press conference, Trump said to be “upset“For the reaction of Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump makes gestures while speaking during the Fii Priority Miami 2025 summit on February 19, 2025. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt / AFP).
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Then blame Ukraine for war. It was in response to a BBC question about what his message was for Ukrainians who could feel betrayed by the meeting in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve heard that they are upset about not having a seat [en las conversaciones]. Well, they had a seat for three years and long before. This could have been resolved very easily ”said. “They should never have started. They could have reached an agreement … I could have reached an agreement for Ukraine ”he added.
In that way, Trump joined Russia’s speech, who has repeatedly accused Ukraine of having started war.
In February 2024, during an interview with the American presenter Tucker Carlson, Putin said: “It was they who started the war in 2014. Our goal is to stop this war. And we do not start this war in 2022 ″.
Actually, Russia began the war under the leadership of Putin, who launched a large -scale invasion against Ukraine to which he called “Special operation.”
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, pronounces a video speech announcing the beginning of the military operation in East Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia.
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“I have made the decision to launch a special military operation,” Putin said in a speech.
Putin said the goal was not to occupy Ukraine, but “Protect” the population of Donbás and He accused NATO already West of threatening Russia with its expansion to its borders.
He said that among his objectives was the “desnazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Accused the government of Zelensky of being a “neo -Nazi” and “genocidal” regime against the Russian -speaking population in the Donbás.
Putin too He warned against any foreign intervention, in a clear threat to NATO.
Besides, asked the Ukrainian soldiers to surrender And he said he didn’t want to face the Ukrainian people.
Minutes after Putin’s speech, Russia launched missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities, such as kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol.
Is Zelensky a dictator with an approval of 4%?
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, gives a press conference in kyiv on February 19, 2025. (Photo by Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP).
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On Wednesday, in a message on their social networks, Trump called Zelensky “dictator.
“A dictator without elections. Zelensky It is better to move fast or run out of country “Trump wrote.
He also said that Zelensky “You probably want to continue with the round business,” in reference to the help that USA delivered to Ukraine To face war.
“Think about it: a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskymade the United States spend $ 350 billion to go to a war that could not be won, that should never start, but a war that he, without the United States and without ‘Trump’, can never resolve, ”he said,” he said Trump.
According to CNN, the statement of Trump It is not true. The news chain cited the Kiel Institute, which in its records has to contribute US $ 138,000 million in financial, humanitarian and military aid; while the United States did it with US $ 119,000 million.
Regarding the statement that Zelensky it’s a dictator Without elections, it should be noted that He was elected president in 2019 for a 5 -year mandate. It could have been presented to re -election in the elections that should be carried out in March or April 2024, but this was not possible due to the imposition of the Martial Law For war.
The mandate of Zelensky It ended in May last year, but it was automatically renewed because While the martial law is in force, elections cannot be held, According to the Constitution.
In 2023, politicians who support the president, opposition and citizens reached the consensus that Zelensky It would retain the position until the circumstances allowed safe and competitive elections.
In addition, a recent survey of the Rating Sociological Group indicated that 60 % of Ukrainians support that the elections are held when the war has ended.
On the contrary, In Russia Putin has been in power for 25 years. It is in its fifth mandate of six years until 2030 and can be reelected again until 2036, after reforming the rules that limited the time it would remain in office.
Trump He also said that Zelensky is extremely unpopular in Ukraineand assured that it has the support of only 4 % of the population, something that is also repeated by the Russians.
However, According to the latest survey published Wednesday by the International Institute of Sociology of kyiv, 57 % of Ukrainians said they trust Zelensky.
