Trump calls Zelensky a “dictator”: how European leaders react

Leaders of European countries, including the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, and Norway, have reacted to the statement of US President Donald Trump, who called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections," UNN reports.

"What value would elections have in a country that has been defending itself against aggression from a neighboring nuclear power for 3 years? How to organize elections when a fifth of the territory is occupied by the invaders and the whole country is under daily shelling? It takes a lot of cynicism to call the president of such a country a dictator," wrote Czech President Petr Pavel.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also criticized Trump's statement calling Zelenskyy a "dictator.

"It is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his democratic legitimacy," Scholz said.

The President of Finland Alexander Stubb saidthat his country supports Ukraine by all possible means.

"Finland supports the Ukrainian Constitution and the democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The war of aggression was started solely by Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Our job is to discuss with Trump the consequences if Putin gets what he wants," Stubb said.

"I think it is right to say that I deeply disagree with what he is saying here and to dissociate myself from it. The claim that Ukraine started the war is historically incorrect and is not a good starting point for ending the war," said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg stated that "Zelenskyy is the duly elected and legitimate president of Ukraine. To say otherwise is to spread Russian propaganda.

The leader of the Liberal Party of Norway Guri Melby addedthat "This is dangerous and outright lying on the part of President Trump... It is now clear that Trump wants Putin to win".

The head of the opposition Conservative Party of the United Kingdom , Cami Badenoch, emphasized on social network X that "President Zelensky is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who has bravely resisted Putin's illegal invasion.

"Under my leadership and under successive Conservative prime ministers, we have been and always will be supportive of Ukraine. President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight, and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The Prime Minister will have my support in increasing defense spending - he has a fully funded plan on the table to reach 2.5%. This should be the minimum. Starmer needs to step up to the plate, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to make a mistake," Badenoch wrote.

Zelensky himself reacted to the leaders' statements on social network X, writing "thank you for your support.

Addendum

Today, during a press conference, Zelenskyy, commenting on Trump's statement that his rating had allegedly fallen to 4%, saidthat this is Russian disinformation, and unfortunately, Trump lives in this disinformation space.

Trump said the day before that Zelenskyy's rating had allegedly dropped to 4%.

KIIS then reported that almost 60% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump saidthat the US has spent $350 billion on "a war that cannot be won." He accused Zelenskyy of abandoning the election and disappearing half of the aid provided.

Trump also harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a "dictator without elections.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against "attacking" U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that publicly "slandering" him could only backfire.