(Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanged harsh insults as peace negotiations advanced to end the war in Ukraine. (Getty Images))
Trump and Zelenskyy proceeded to verbally dish out barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian "disinformation" and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a "dictator" that has failed his country.
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump wrote in a social media post Feb. 19. "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."
Russia has pushed for Ukraine to hold an election as part of a peace deal, nearly a year after Zelenskyy's five-year term was slated to end.
Zelenskyy has remained in his position leading Kyiv because the Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022.
TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. (Carl Court/Pool via AP)
Starmer, who announced on Feb. 16 the U.K. is ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, told reporters Thursday that the U.K. wants to coordinate with the U.S. on a peace negotiation "to make sure that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, that it's a deal that goes down as a historic deal, that nobody breaches."
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French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar sentiments regarding working with the U.S. to secure lasting peace when he visited the White House Monday. However, he also advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia.
"We want peace," he said in an interview from the Blair House Monday on "Special Report." "And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine."
"I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer," Macron said. "And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to reengage with Russia."
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
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