Washington, Feb 22, (V7N) – President Donald Trump faced questions on whether he considered Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator after labeling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as one earlier this week. Trump was asked during a ceremony for the swearing-in of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, but avoided directly answering the question.
 
When asked if Putin is a dictator, Trump replied, "I think that President Putin and President Zelenskyy are going to have to get together because you know what? We want to stop killing millions of people."
 
Trump has recently criticized Zelenskyy, blaming Ukrainian leadership for Russia's invasion, and falsely claimed that Zelenskyy only has 4% support in polls. Trump, on the other hand, has spoken more favorably of Putin. "I’ve had very good talks with Putin and I’ve had not such good talks with Ukraine," Trump said at the White House on Friday, adding, "They don't have any cards but they play it tough."
 
Trump's remarks mark a shift in the U.S. stance toward the Ukraine conflict, contrasting with President Joe Biden’s support for Ukraine's defense and efforts to isolate Putin. Trump has suggested Zelenskyy should negotiate a peace deal with Russia on terms that some see as too lenient towards Moscow. This approach has alarmed U.S. allies, who view Russian aggression as a threat to regional security.
 
Trump and Zelenskyy exchanged sharp words this week. Trump claimed Ukraine "should have never started" the war, despite it beginning with Russia's 2022 invasion. Zelenskyy responded, calling Trump's comments disinformation and expressing a desire for more truth from the former president’s team. Trump later called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections."
 
Zelenskyy was democratically elected in 2019. While he postponed a 2024 election due to the ongoing war and martial law, an opinion poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology revealed that 57% of Ukrainians trust him.
 
In contrast, Putin's regime is known for restricting freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, with critics facing arbitrary prosecution and violence. Some foreign leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have defended Zelenskyy’s democratic legitimacy, highlighting the exceptional nature of suspending elections during wartime.
 
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who visited Ukraine, also supported Zelenskyy, saying there is no moral equivalence between Putin and Zelenskyy, and that Putin is "evil" and must be stopped.
 
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