President Trump has escalated his attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing him as a “dictator without elections.” Trump went on to push Zelensky to negotiate with Russia, saying he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.” This comes a day after Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war. Trump also falsely said Zelensky’s approval rating was “down at 4 percent,” when polls show about 57% of Ukrainians support him — far higher than Trump’s rating in a recent Reuters poll. Trump also falsely claimed the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with $350 billion worth of aid. In fact, government data show U.S. spending on Ukraine since 2022 has totaled about $185 billion, with 70% of the money going to U.S. weapons manufacturers. On Wednesday, Zelensky responded by saying Trump is “surrounded by disinformation.”

Trump’s attacks on Zelensky have shocked many across Europe and in Washington, where some Republican lawmakers have begun to criticize Trump’s shift toward Russia. Republican Senator Susan Collins said, “We must remember that the instigator of this war was President Putin, who launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine.” Zelensky is meeting today in Kyiv with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.