Trump Says Ukraine ‘Started’ War, Calls Zelensky a ‘Dictator’

President Donald Trump made critical remarks aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he “started” the war and calling him a “dictator.”

‘Started It’ Quote: On Tuesday, following the U.S.-Kremlin meeting in Saudi Arabia, Trump told reporters, “Today I heard, ‘Oh, well we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should’ve ended it in three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”

‘Dictator’ Quote: On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”

War Timeline: The war in Ukraine began in 2014 after the Euromaidan revolution. Russia annexed Crimea via referendum after Wagner Group forces invaded the territory, and the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces declared independence from Ukraine. In February 2022, the Russian military invaded Ukraine after President Putin announced the country was launching a “Special Military Operation” aimed at protecting ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine and halting NATO advancement. 

Democracy In Ukraine: Since February 2022, Ukraine has banned opposition political parties and canceled elections as the country is under martial law. In January 2024, an American blogger who was incarcerated for “justifying Russian aggression,” died in Ukrainian prison, where he was reportedly mistreated. On February 4, Politico (Lean Left bias) reported that Ukraine found the United States and Russia’s desire for elections to be “worrisome.” Last week, Ukraine sanctioned former president and opposition politician Petro Poroshenko for “security” reasons.

How The Media Covered It: Trump’s “started it” comment made headlines Wednesday morning, while his “dictator” comment made headlines later, into Wednesday afternoon. Several outlets offered live coverage after his “dictator” comment.