Trump refuses to call Putin dictator: "I don’t use such words lightly"
American President Donald Trump refused to call Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin a dictator, as he recently said about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said this during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on February 24, Censor.NET reports.
Journalists asked Trump if he would call Putin a dictator after he used the word in reference to the Ukrainian president.
"I don't use such words lightly. We'll see how it goes. I think we have a chance for a really good settlement between the countries. We are talking about Europe and we are talking about Ukraine, this part of the whole situation. The other side has a lot of support as well... Let's see how it all works out. It can be resolved," he said.
The US President noted that his task is to "get you out of the war, get them out of the war, give them a chance to live."
"It (the war in Ukraine - ed.) can lead to World War III. If it is not resolved, there will be a moment when it will not stop with these two countries.
There's already this involvement of other countries, and it could really lead to a very big war, World War III, and we're not going to let that happen," Trump summarized.
Trump's statements about Zelenskyy's rating
The day before, Trump said that elections should be held in Ukraine, as Zelenskyy's approval rating had fallen to 4%.
As of the first half of February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while 37% do not, according to a KIIS survey.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the statements about his 4% rating disinformation.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" because he allegedly convinced America to "spend $350 billion on the war".
