The United States of America envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has described President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war.”
This statement is a direct contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent pronouncement that Zelenskyy was a “dictator”.
Kellogg was in Ukraine for three days before leaving Kyiv on Friday.
He posted on social media that he had engaged in “extensive and positive discussions” with the Ukrainian leader and his “talented national security team”.
“A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine,” he said.
Newspot reported that Trump had suggested that Zelenskyy was to blame for starting the war with Russia, and accused Zelenskyy of doing “a terrible job”.
Just yesterday, the American leader said he did not consider it essential for Zelenskyy to be present at negotiations to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings,” Trump told Fox News.
“He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals,” he added.
Trump later drew a contrast between his relationship with Zelenskyy and with his Russian counterpart.
“I’ve had very good talks with [Vladimir] Putin,” Trump said, adding “and I’ve had not such good talks with Ukraine.”
Trump’s man, Elon Musk, had also accused Ukraine’s leader of running a “massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers”.
Kellogg is known to be the most pro-Ukrainian of Trump’s senior team.
Zelenskyy prompted Trump’s ire by observing that the US president lived in a Kremlin “disinformation bubble”.
