As if there were not enough concern in Kyiv and other European capitals at the talks between the United States and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, a grenade was lobbed into the already fraught situation by Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The US president launched a furious diatribe online against Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling him “a dictator without elections” and saying his Ukrainian counterpart “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP’ and the Trump Administration, can do.”
For good measure, Mr Trump called his Ukrainian counterpart a “a modestly successful comedian” – a reference to his former career as an entertainer – who had “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”.
As Daniel McLaughlin and Jack Horgan-Jones report, the online broadside came after Mr Zelenskiy had accused Mr Trump of parroting Kremlin “disinformation” by questioning his legitimacy and saying Kyiv “should never have started” a war that was actually caused by a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
European leaders were quick to criticise Mr Trump’s comments and back Mr Zelenskiy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said “it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny president Zelensky his democratic legitimacy”.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer spoke to the Ukrainian president by phone and a Downing Street statement said he expressed his support for Mr Zelenskiy as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader.
It also said it was “perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War Two.”
In Ireland, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris referred to Mr Trump’s apparent contention earlier in the week that Ukraine started the war accusing him of “engaging in revisionism on speed”.
On Wednesday afternoon, Taoiseach Micheál Martin took part in an online meeting of EU leaders along with those of Canada, Iceland and Norway as efforts to respond to the prospect of US-Russia peace talks without European involvement continued.
The meeting, convened by French president Emmanuel Macron, heard strong support on the need to continue steadfast support for Ukraine.
The Taoiseach signalled that Ireland would consider providing peacekeepers in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire being struck with an international mandate.
He is also understood to have raised the need for an accelerated process for Ukraine’s membership of the EU.
Earlier, Mr Trump had dismissed complaints from Ukraine that its future was discussed by senior US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday without any representative of Kyiv being present. He also falsely claimed that Mr Zelenskiy had a 4 per cent approval rating and should hold elections.
Mr Zelenskiy later said of the US president’s comments: “We saw this disinformation. We understand it comes from Russia.”
Best Reads
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Arthur Beasley has a story on how Gardaí are investigating “alleged financial irregularities” in a Limerick high-wire dance troupe that received more than €1.15 million from the Arts Council since 2022.
They seek him here. They seek him there. The Wexford Pimpernel James Browne – Miriam Lords’s take on Wednesday’s housing debate in the Dáil.
Opposition parties are insisting that Independent TDs who back Government must not speak on their Dáil time, in a sign that the speaking rights row is set to reignite, Jennifer Bray reports.
Marie O’Halloran outlines how Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness was elected as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the Dáil and Fine Gael Senator Maria Byrne was elected Leas Chathaoirleach of the Seanad.
Playbook
Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke is due to take Parliamentary Questions in the Dáil from 9am.
Minister for the Environment Darragh O’Brien is expected up next at 10:30am.
Leaders’ Questions is at noon followed by Questions on Policy or Legislation.
Government Business is statements on “the importance of agri-food to the Irish economy”. This starts at 1:44pm.
TDs have an opportunity to ask about Topical Issues from 4:09pm.
There are no Seanad or committee proceedings today.
The full Dáil schedule can be found here.
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