Trump, Zelensky Escalate War of Words Over Russia

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at harsh words between Ukraine and the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, and formal charges against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Breakdown in Communication

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump traded barbs this week, triggering an extraordinary breakdown in Ukraine-U.S. relations as the White House gears up for future Russia-Ukraine peace talks with the Kremlin—notably without Zelensky’s presence.

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Breakdown in Communication

The strife began last Wednesday, when Trump appeared to make unilateral concessions for Ukraine during a nearly 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call sparked worry that the White House was sidelining Ukraine and its European allies from peace talks. Those fears worsened with the news that top U.S. and Russian officials would convene in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday—without Ukrainian or European officials present—to discuss peace talks and pave the way for a future Trump-Putin summit.

The meeting surprised and angered Zelensky, leading him to openly criticize the U.S. president’s approach. The United States is seeking a quick cease-fire by “saying things that Putin really likes,” Zelensky told a German broadcaster on Monday, ahead of the Riyadh meeting. “Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed,” Zelensky said.

That criticism seems to have angered Trump. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday, Trump mocked Zelensky for complaining about not being invited to the Riyadh talks and instead falsely blamed the Ukrainian leader, whose country Russia brutally invaded in February 2022, for starting the war.

“Today I heard, ‘Oh, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years,” Trump said. “You should have ended it three years [ago]. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.” Trump went on to repeat a Russian talking point questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy because the country hasn’t held elections since the invasion.

Whereas Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cheered Trump’s comments as “a signal that he understands our position,” Zelensky accused Trump on Wednesday of living in a “disinformation space” fueled by his conversations with the Kremlin. He also said Trump has made false claims about the amount of military aid that Ukraine has received from the United States compared to other countries, and on Tuesday, he compared a prospective U.S. withdrawal from the conflict to an “Afghanistan 2.0.”

Trump then escalated the war of words in a lengthy post on his Truth Social account on Wednesday. “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote, adding (without evidence) that Zelensky has low approval ratings and saying that he had played former U.S. President Joe Biden “like a fiddle.” He accused Zelensky of not wanting peace with Russia because he “probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going”—seemingly referring to U.S. aid. “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died—And so it continues,” Trump added.

Trump’s post sparked anger and dismay from many Ukraine supporters, including both Republicans and Democrats. Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, called his comments “some of the most shameful remarks ever made by a US president.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s attacks on Zelensky were “disgusting,” adding, “It is shameful to hear the president repeat Putin’s propaganda while laying the groundwork for negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine’s expense.” And Sen. Roger Wicker said he planned to ask U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance for “clarification” about Trump’s comments during a Senate GOP lunch that Vance was attending on Wednesday.

But before that lunch meeting, Vance had already doubled down on Trump’s remarks. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Vance warned Zelensky against “badmouthing” Trump in public, saying that such actions would only backfire. Vance also reposted Trump’s Truth Social statement on his own X account.

Today’s Most Read

What We’re Following

Rubio in Abu Dhabi. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to discuss the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal in Gaza; bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence; and ongoing threats in Syria, Lebanon, and the Red Sea.

Emirati state news agency WAM reported that during the meeting with Rubio, Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan rejected Trump’s Gaza displacement proposal, telling the secretary of state that it is important to link the territory’s reconstruction to “a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-state solution,” not the long-term or permanent removal of Gaza’s roughly 2.1 million Palestinians to neighboring countries.

Next month, Emirati leaders will join those from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar to discuss an Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction.

Coup attempt charges. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was formally charged by the country’s prosecutor general on Tuesday with attempting to foment a coup to undermine the results of the 2022 presidential election. “The responsibility for acts harmful to the democratic order falls upon a criminal organization led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro, based on an authoritarian project of power,” the 272-page indictment states.

A two-year police investigation charged 34 people, including senior military commanders and Bolsonaro’s former national security advisor, with plotting to deny the election’s results and overthrow the government by staging riots in the capital, planning to poison now-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and seeking to kill Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Bolsonaro’s legal team now has two weeks to respond to the charges before the Supreme Federal Court decides whether to accept the prosecutor general’s ruling and hold a televised trial, which experts say is likely. If convicted, Bolsonaro faces at least 12 years in prison. His lawyers on Tuesday denied that he has engaged in any efforts to dismantle Brazil’s democracy

Unsubscribe. An internal U.S. State Department memo has ordered embassies and consulates to cancel all media subscriptions considered “non-mission critical,” the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Critics of the mandate, sent earlier this month via email, told the Post that it could hinder security teams at U.S. embassies that rely on news coverage to assess local threats and prepare for diplomatic travel.

The memo prioritizes terminating contracts with six outlets in particular: The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, the Economist, the New York Times, Politico, and Reuters. Those who wish to keep their subscriptions can submit a request that “must be done within 1 sentence,” explaining why that particular contract is vital for U.S. safety, is required by a treaty, or makes “America more prosperous.”

The subscription cuts are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on the press. Last week, presidential advisor Elon Musk spouted false conspiracy theories on government spending in an effort to cut federal contracts to Politico Pro, and on Tuesday, Trump said he would continue to restrict The Associated Press’s access to White House events and news conferences until the wire service calls the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Odds and Ends

For runners participating in Scotland’s Castlemilk Woodlands race on Sunday, the finish line really was farther away than they expected. A prankster pretending to be a marshal hid arrows pointing to the right path and sent competitors stumbling into unmarked territory, sparking concerns for their safety. Organizer Acorn Trails has apologized for the interference and is offering a 50 percent discount on its next event to those who were affected. “Hopefully the majority of you had a positive race day experience, and enjoyed the trails that we love,” a spokesperson said.

The post Trump, Zelensky Escalate War of Words Over Russia appeared first on Foreign Policy.