Zelensky ‘not a dictator’ says Trump ally Farage

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK advised that while Donald Trump should always be taken seriously, he shouldn’t always be taken literally.

Nigel Farage has defended Volodymyr Zelensky against Donald Trump’s ‘dictator’ accusations. Picture: Parsons Media.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and an ally of Donald Trump, has defended Volodymyr Zelensky against Mr Trump’s accusation that the Ukraine leader is a “dictator,” warning the US President shouldn’t always be taken “absolutely literally.”

Speaking in Washington, Mr Farage told GB News “You should always take everything Donald Trump says seriously. You shouldn’t always take things that Donald Trump says absolutely literally.

“I think that applies very much in this case. There is a lot of bad blood between President Trump and previous Ukrainian leaders, the impeachment that happened was all because of a relationship between the Ukrainian government and the Biden family.

“So let’s be clear. Zelensky is not a dictator. But it is only right and proper that Ukrainians have a timeline for elections.”

'Let's be clear, Zelenskyy is not a dictator.'

Leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage MP, addresses Donald Trump's remarks about the Ukrainian leader. pic.twitter.com/jYM0F8g3FC

— GB News (@GBNEWS) February 20, 2025

Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, wrote on X that “of course” the Russia-Ukraine war was started by Vladimir Putin.

Mr Farage spoke as the White House announced that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Mr Trump at the White House next Thursday, after the President hosts French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian President called for “strong” ties with Washington as he met US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv.

Tensions between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump over the US President’s outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of escalating barbs traded in press conferences and on social media.

The United States is Ukraine’s most important financial and military backer, but the US president has rattled Kyiv and its European backers by opening talks with Moscow they fear could end the war on terms that reward Vladimir Putin.

The spat has turned personal with Mr Trump falsely stating Mr Zelensky is hugely unpopular among his own people and the Ukrainian leader in turn saying Trump had succumbed to Russian “disinformation”.

Amid the war of words, Mr Zelensky said he had held a “productive meeting” with Mr Kellogg.

“We had a detailed conversation about the battlefield situation, how to return our prisoners of war, and effective security guarantees,” Mr Zelensky said on social media after the meeting.

“Strong Ukraine-U. S. relations benefit the entire world,” he added.

However, there was no joint press conference or statements after the discussions, as would typically be expected be for a visiting foreign envoy.

In the United States, some of Mr Trump’s team doubled down on their attacks on Zelensky.

In a post on his X social media site, Elon Musk said Zelensky was “despised by the people of Ukraine.”

Mr Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News that Kyiv’s criticism of the US president was “unacceptable” and urged Mr Zelensky to sign a deal giving preferential access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and natural resources.

“We’re getting all this pushback … they need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal,” he said.

With AFP