Zelensky refused to consider himself a dictator

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with the BBC, rejected remarks by U.S. leader Donald Trump that he is a dictator and responsible for starting the conflict with Russia.

“I’m not a dictator, and I didn’t start the war—that’s all,” Zelensky said, laughing after the journalist’s question.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made controversial statements about Volodymyr Zelensky. Several times he has called him a “peddler” and the “greatest salesman,” who skillfully extracts money from his allies.

On his Truth Social page, he also criticized the Ukrainian president, calling him a “dictator without elections” and pointing to his approval rating allegedly falling to 4%.

Zelensky himself has said that, unlike other Western leaders, he is not afraid of his American counterpart Donald Trump. He added that Trump, like himself, was elected by the people of his country, and that this choice should be respected. The Ukrainian president called the United States a “strategic partner for many years,” with whom the republic—unlike Russia—shares “common values.”

Earlier, a journalist reported learning of Zelensky’s plans to continue fighting Russia for another three years.