 "Zelenskyy says Trump living in 'disinformation space' after US President blames Ukraine for Russian invasion")
Hours after US President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion and made harsh remarks about Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including an unfounded claim that Zelenskyy’s popularity rating is just 4%, the Ukrainian President responded on Wednesday, saying that Trump was living in a “disinformation space.”
Zelenskyy said he does not comment on these ratings, particularly his own or those of others. However, he noted that a recent poll indicates that 58% of Ukrainians trust him.
“So if anyone wants to replace me right now, that will not work,” The Guardian quoted Zelenskyy as saying during a press conference in Kyiv.
He also highlighted the “significant disinformation coming from Russia,” suggesting that these figures are being circulated to the US.
“Unfortunately, President Trump, with all due respect for him as the leader of a nation that we respect greatly … is living in this disinformation space,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.
Zelenskyy said he will seek to gather more data on trust in key global leaders to combat Russian disinformation.
He expressed concern about “the misinformation circle surrounding President Trump,” which he claims involves representatives associated with the Hungarian and Slovak governments.
“This is all concerning. Everything they are doing is to make sure that Ukraine is weak,” he said.
Trump’s harsh remarks about Zelenskyy, labeling him a poor negotiator and “grossly incompetent,” came after first talks between the US and Russian foreign ministers in Saudi Arabia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The discussions focused on resetting relations and seeking a resolution to the conflict.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKyiv and its European allies have become alarmed at being cut out of the process with Russia to end the conflict.
Zelenskyy said the US has helped Russian President Vladimir Putin end three years of “isolation” in the West.
“I believe that the United States helped Putin to break out of years of isolation,” AFP quoted Zelenskyy as saying to reporters.
“All of this has no positive impact on Ukraine,” he added.
Zelenskyy said he wanted to get solid security guarantees from Kyiv’s Western partners that would enable the war with Russia to end in 2025.
“We want security guarantees this year, because we want to end the war this year,” Zelensky said.
With inputs from agencies
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