A lot of time for this. In a week where Volodymyr Zelenskyy has watched Donald Trump openly side with Russia and Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president was left to navigate some difficult diplomatic waters. However, he may have caused a few more ripples – without uttering a single word.
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Trump rips into Zelenskyy – and gives Putin a free pass
On Thursday evening, President Trump spoke with the right-wing broadcaster Newsmax, venting his frustrations about the ongoing Russian military offensive against Ukraine. However, his catastrophic misunderstanding of the conflict has led to a souring of relations between him and Zelenskyy.
Last week, Trump announced a deal with Russia to bring millions of tons of diesel to American shores. The agreement was seen as a betrayal against Ukraine, with Zelenskyy blasting the White House for ‘showing weakness’. And boy, did the most thin-skinned leader on the planet dislike that.
POTUS has since spent his week criticising Zelenskyy, stating that Ukraine ‘needs a new leader’. He has also called for an end to strikes on Russian oil refineries, and there are also claims that the White House gave the word to limit Ukraine’s access to Starlink during a co-ordinated military operation.
‘He is not a good guy for us to deal with’
And, last night, ‘Turncoat Trump’ twisted the knife further. In a rambling response to the Newsmax host, the 80-year-old accused Zelenskyy of ‘destroying his own country’, admitting that he finds him ‘harder to deal with’ than Putin. Yeah, there might be a few reasons for that…
“Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with. I’m not a big fan of Zelenskyy. They’ve destroyed that country. That is a war that should have never started. It was supposed to be a quick war, but the Russian generals made a wrong turn. Ukraine has lost so many of its men.” | Donald Trump
Zelenskyy smirk proves more effective than words
As Ukraine continues to repel the Russian onslaught, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been looking to shore-up support across Europe. He attended an EU Leaders Summit in Brussels on Friday, before engaging with the media and fielding questions about his deteriorating relationship with the President.
His poker face might need a little more work, mind. When asked by Sky News if he was being made ‘a scapegoat’ for domestic issues plaguing the Trump Administration, Zelenskyy paused, then smirked, unable to hide his glee. The room erupted with laughter, leaving him to stand by his ‘non-answer’.
A truly great case of saying it best, by saying nothing at all. Right out of Ronan Keating’s playbook…