US President Donald Trump reacted very sharply to the statements of his special representative for negotiations on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, about Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a "zealous and courageous leader." The American president called his subordinate an "idiot," UNN reports.
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The publication notes that Kellogg found himself at the center of an internal conflict within the US administration due to disagreements on policy issues regarding Ukraine.
The situation escalated after a Fox News report, which cited Kellogg's social media post about Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The special representative called the President of Ukraine a "zealous and courageous leader of a nation at war," which contrasted with Trump's position, who called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections."
When Kellogg visited the Oval Office shortly after, the US president lashed out at him.
"So you're calling Zelenskyy zealous and courageous?" he said sharply, according to two officials.
"Sir, he is," Mr. Kellogg replied. "It's an existential struggle on Ukrainian soil for the survival of his nation. When was the last time an American president faced something like this? It was Abraham Lincoln."
Later, recounting the episode to other advisers, Trump muttered, "He's an idiot."