Trump and Zelenskyy war of words heats up even as US looks to wind down war in Ukraine
The United States and Russia held peace talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, leaving Ukraine out of the negotiations. Former deputy director of national intelligence Cliff Sims joined ‘America Reports’ to discuss the state of the talks between the U.S. and Russia on ending the war with Ukraine. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in a war of words following the meetings, with Trump claiming he is the only one who can bring an end to the conflict.
Despite Ukraine’s absence from the negotiations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was in contact with Zelenskyy and working to ensure that all parties are heard during the peace talks. However, Zelenskyy accused Trump of perpetuating Russian “disinformation,” while Trump retaliated by calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” who has failed his country.
In a social media post, Trump made several inaccurate statements, including claiming that Zelenskyy talked the U.S. into spending $350 billion on a war that couldn’t be won. Congress has actually appropriated $175 billion in aid to Ukraine since 2022, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not ending the war sooner and suggested that Ukraine started the conflict, despite Russia being the aggressor in 2022.
Zelenskyy, on the other hand, accused Trump of living in a “disinformation space” and peddling inaccurate information originating from Russia. He emphasized the importance of Ukraine being involved in negotiations for a peace deal with Russia and announced that he would postpone a scheduled trip to Saudi Arabia until March after Ukraine wasn’t invited to the U.S.-Russia discussions in Riyadh.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov in Riyadh to discuss ways to end the conflict. The U.S. plans to reestablish the functionality of diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow as a first step towards further negotiations.
Overall, the peace talks between the U.S. and Russia, excluding Ukraine, have sparked tensions between Washington and Kyiv. Zelenskyy’s absence from the negotiations and Trump’s controversial statements have only deepened the divide between the two countries. The future of the conflict in Ukraine remains uncertain as both sides continue to engage in a war of words and diplomatic negotiations.
