By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday for suggesting that the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine is still likely “very, very far away.”
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Zelenskyy late Sunday said he believed the war would go on for some time, while trying to offer a positive take about the U.S.-Ukraine relationship in the aftermath of his contentious White House meeting with the Republican president and Vice President JD Vance.
“I think our relationship (with the U.S.) will continue, because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Washington’s support for the past three years of war.
But Trump seemed further irritated by Zelenskyy’s latest comments suggesting it will take time for the three-year conflict to come to a close.
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. — Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia,” Trump added in his post. “What are they thinking?”