Stop hurling ‘insults,’ Zelensky warned
US national security advisor Mike Waltz accuses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of insulting his American counterpart Donald Trump.
Daily TribuneUS national security advisor Mike Waltz accuses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of insulting his American counterpart Donald Trump.
UKRAINE’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) speaks with US special envoy Keith Kellogg at his offices in Kyiv on 20 February 2025.
SERGEI SUPINSKY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — The United States (US) national security advisor warned Ukraine’s leader to stop hurling “insults” at Donald Trump, as pressure built Friday on Volodymyr Zelensky to sign away precious mineral rights in exchange for Washington’s help defending against Russia.
Tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the proposed mineral deal -- which Kyiv has rejected — and Washington’s outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of barbs traded at press conferences and on social media.
Zelensky has warned that Trump has succumbed to Russian “disinformation,” while the US leader has accused his counterpart of starting the war and branded him a “dictator without elections.”
“Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable,” US national security advisor Mike Waltz told a Thursday briefing at the White House.
“President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky, the fact that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered,” he said.
The US is a vital financial and military supporter of Ukraine, but Trump has rattled Kyiv and its European backers by opening talks with Moscow they fear could end the war on terms that reward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
