US envoy meets Zelenskyy after Trump criticizes Ukraine
Photo: AFP/Sergei Supinsky
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the conflict in Ukraine met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday. However, there was no immediate statement on whether their discussions had helped resolve the unprecedented wartime tensions between the two former strong allies.
Zelenskyy had earlier struck a conciliatory tone after accusing Trump of repeating Russian disinformation in response to the U.S. president's accusation that Ukraine had started the three-year-old war with Russia, News.Az reports citing Reuters.
Trump went on to refer to Zelenskyy as a "dictator" who should act fast or lose Ukraine.
Trump, in office for just a month, is pushing for a quick deal to end the war and has alarmed Washington's European allies by leaving them and Ukraine out of initial talks with Russia.
His vice president, JD Vance, said on Thursday he believed that an end to the conflict was near and there was no stopping the war without speaking to Russia.
Trump's Ukraine and Russia envoy Keith Kellogg said on arriving in Kyiv on Wednesday that he was there to listen.
The two men shook hands and patted each other on the backs as they met on Thursday. Zelenskyy smiled and said: "It's good to see you, how are you? ... thank you for coming."
There was no immediate word from either side on the outcome of the talks.
Trump is seeking to reestablish ties with Russia and also invest in Ukraine's resources of minerals critical to the energy transition. Ukraine rejected an initial U.S. plan as it did not include security guarantees.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Thursday that Ukraine should rein in its criticism of the United States and agree to the minerals deal.
"They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal," he told Fox News.
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