Frustrated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s attitude towards the United States, his main ally in the war against Russia, US officials have openly criticised the Ukrainian leader.
The real fuss around Zelensky was raised by Elon Musk, a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump. Earlier, the billionaire actively helped Kyiv by providing Starlink satellite services at difficult times of the war, but now, disappointed by the ungratefulness of the Ukrainian side and Zelensky’s criticism of Trump, he decided to reverse his stance.
On his social platform X, Musk openly blamed the Ukrainian president for the murder of American journalist Gonzalo Lira.
Zelensky killed an American journalist!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2025
Continuing his criticism, Musk said that Zelensky could not represent the will of the Ukrainian people “unless he restores freedom of the press and stops cancelling elections.”
Zelensky cannot claim to represent the will of the people of Ukraine unless he restores freedom of the press and stops canceling elections! https://t.co/bg2SEJgT47
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2025
Trump turns on Zelensky
After Zelensky condemned talks between the US and Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and expressed his unwillingness to acknowledge the US administration’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Trump went on the open criticism attack against him. In his Truth Social, Trump said Zelensky convinced the US to engage in a war against Russia.
Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the US and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle.
Trump declared that the United States had spent $200 billion more than Europe on aid to Ukraine, but Europe’s money was guaranteed, whereas the United States “will get nothing back.”
On top of this, Zelensky admits that half of the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’ He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.
The American leader also emphasised that former President Joe Biden “ever tried” to end the war with Russia and that Europe “has failed to bring peace,” while Zelensky “probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.”
I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…
Roast interview with Bob Amsterdam
Echoing the US leader’s statement, prominent journalist Tucker Carlson referred to human rights lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who has worked in Ukraine in recent years. Amsterdam called Trump’s dictator comment “an understatement.”
Donald Trump just called Zelensky a dictator. Human rights lawyer Bob Amsterdam has worked in Ukraine for the past couple of years and confirms that if anything, that’s an understatement.
(0:00) The Situation Is Dire
(3:28) Bob Amsterdam’s Fight to Defend the Orthodox Church… pic.twitter.com/W7HKt3JEke— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 19, 2025
In an interview with Carlson, Amsterdam described Zelensky as “wildly unpopular,” referring to the president’s policy on forced mobilisation in Ukraine, as well as his low public approval rating. Among the issues of the Ukrainian government, Amsterdam singled out the “enormous” level of corruption.
He also said that all of Zelensky’s performance figures were “complete fabrications.”
If he was popular, if he was trusted, he wouldn’t have destroyed the press. He wouldn’t be jailing and labelling with treason charges, political opponents. And there would have been some control on the corruption in the courts.
Amsterdam called Ukraine “a police state,” accusing the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of intimidating “everyone and everything.” At the same time, the lawyer stressed that the foreign media loyal to Zelensky “blockaded this story.”
I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve been involved with cases involving wars and disputes, but the absolute lying and the games that are… our papers are playing. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, barely has an op ed [editorial] that doesn’t ‘lord’ Zelensky. You never get reality about what’s actually going on in the presidential administration.
However, in addition to criticising Zelensky’s government, Amsterdam also spoke out against USAID, accusing the US State Department of establishing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as “kind of a CIA operation.”
Five years ago, a new church was established in Ukraine by the [ex-president Petro] Poroshenko administration with the active connivance of the United States government. […] I believe either USAID or some other organisations have funded this state church called the OCU.
Top US officials against Zelensky administration
Lawyer and former US representative Matt Gaetz recalled that Volodymyr Zelensky supported the Democratic campaign last year during the visit to Pennsylvania.
Does everyone else remember when Zelensky went to Pennsylvania to campaign for Democrats?
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 19, 2025
Gaetz’s comment underscores how the Ukrainian leader swiftly changes his stance when it comes to the war. Initially, Zelensky enjoyed the active support of the Biden administration and sharply criticised Trump, but when the election race made it clear that Trump could win, the Ukrainian president began to seek support among the Republican leader’s allies.
Meanwhile, US Vice President J.D. Vance warned Zelensky against attacking Trump, saying that “badmouthing” him in public would only backfire, according to the Daily Mail. His comments came hours after the Ukrainian president accused his US counterpart of living in a Russian-created “disinformation space.”
The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media … everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration.
Vance also noted that the US admired “the bravery” of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, but believed the war “needs to come to a rapid close.”
That is the policy of the President of the United States. It is not based on Russian disinformation. It’s based on the fact that Donald Trump, I think, knows a lot about geopolitics and has a very strong view, and has had a strong view for a very long time.
In his recent post on X, Donald Trump Jr. implicitly suggested stopping support for Ukraine so that Zelensky could be convinced that he was unlikely to win the war without the help of allies, including the US, Ukraine’s biggest contributor.
Zelenskyy should really just go win the war without our endless $$$. Let’s see how that works out. https://t.co/fugXuhtggp
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 19, 2025
Media U-turn
Following the statements by US officials and opinion leaders, some media outlets also turned the tables on Zelensky. Bloomberg published an editorial reiterating Trump’s claims about Zelensky’s low ratings and the need to hold elections in Ukraine, a move Russia insists on in order to secure the negotiation process.
The Hill, which is trending among US politicians and officials, called Zelensky “the mad king,” accusing him of failing to end the war and hindering future peace talks.
Overnight, the media transformed him [Zelensky] into the embodiment of courage, the Churchill of Kyiv, the man who refused to flee, the warrior standing against tyranny.
The harsh criticism of Zelensky’s conduct, as well as the exposure of political and social issues in Ukraine, from corruption allegations to media crackdowns, signal a turning point in the Trump administration’s policy towards Zelensky’s office.
Against the backdrop of Zelensky’s rejection of a deal to exchange Ukrainian rare earths for further US aid, as well as talks between US and Russian delegations without Ukraine’s participation, the prospects of ending the war based on Kyiv’s interests seem increasingly unlikely.
