US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky engaged in a heated back and forth on Wednesday.
The rivalry escalated when Mr Trump labelled Mr Zelensky a “dictator”, in a post on Truth Social.
His attack followed Mr Zelensky's claim that the US president was “living in a disinformation space” controlled by Moscow, in response to US-Russian negotiations in Saudi Arabia that excluded Kyiv.
Mr Trump also said that Kyiv was responsible for Moscow’s invasion and that Ukraine had “started the war”.
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn’t be won, that never had to start.” Mr 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, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia, something all admit only TRUMP and the Trump administration can do.”
Former comedian Mr Zelensky won Ukraine's most recent presidential election with ease in 2019. Due to martial law, new elections that were scheduled for March or April of last year were postponed.
Mr Trump's claims that Mr Zelensky has a four per cent approval rating were proved wrong, when a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), published on Tuesday, revealed that his trust rating is 57 per cent.
People were quick to speak out against Mr Trump included his former vice president, Mike Pence, who stated on social media that “Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war”.
But who else has come forward to support Ukraine? Here’s the full list.
Former US vice president Mike Pence tells Trump ‘Ukraine did not start this war’
Mike Pence, the former vice president of President Trump, became outraged over the comments on Wednesday.
He went onto X to say that, “Mr President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.”
Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) February 19, 2025
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII” @FoxNews (February 24,… pic.twitter.com/HsWGdyCGOz
Mr Pence also included the link to a 2022 Fox News article titled, “Russia invades Ukraine in largest European attack since WWII”, that was published on the first day of the conflict.
Sir Keir Starmer backs Zelenksy
In a phone conversation with the Ukrainian president, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made it apparent that he supported Mr Zelensky.
According to a representative for Downing Street, Sir Keir “expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine's democratically elected leader”.
The representative went on to say that it was “perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War Two”.
Sir Keir is also claimed to have “emphasised the need for everyone to work together” in order to resolve the Ukrainian situation amicably.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls Trump's comments ‘wrong and dangerous’
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, swiftly remarked that “it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny president Zelensky his democratic legitimacy”, in a statement to German newspaper Spiegel.
He added: “It is true that Volodymyr Zelensky is the elected head of state of Ukraine. The fact that no proper elections can be held in the middle of a war is in line with the Ukrainian constitution and electoral laws. No one should claim otherwise.”
Australia's opposition leader Peter Dutton says ‘President Trump has got it wrong’
Australia’s opposition leader, Peter Dutton, also chimed in with strong criticism, as he bluntly told Sydney-based radio station 2GB: “I think President Trump has got it wrong.”
“Australia should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine. It's a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation. Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch,” he added.
While Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, added that “the war in Ukraine must be resolved on Ukraine's terms, because the aggressor here is Russia”.
