Donald Trump Declines To Call Putin Dictator

President Donald Trump refused to label his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a dictator on Monday, despite having called the Ukrainian leader one in a post on his social-media platform, Truth Social, last week.

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

Why It Matters

Trump escalated a public feud with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week when he labeled him a “dictator.” The White House leader urged Ukraine to hold elections—despite the fact that these were suspended in February 2022 under martial law, imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The U.S. president’s remarks drew widespread criticism, including from The New York Post, a newspaper Trump once called his “favorite.” The publication ran a front-page cover featuring Vladimir Putin alongside the headline: “THIS IS A DICTATOR.”

What To Know

At a press conference on Monday alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump was asked whether he would label Putin a “dictator,” as he did Zelensky.

“I don’t use those words lightly … I think we’re going to see how it all works out,” Trump said.

Last week, Trump branded Zelensky a “modestly successful comedian” who “refuses to have Elections.”

“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy 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,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Trump was parroting the Kremlin’s talking points in calling for Ukraine to hold elections amid the war. Moscow has long sought to discredit the Ukrainian government by claiming that Zelensky is an illegitimate president, although martial law prohibits elections during wartime for safety reasons.

Elections were suspended in February 2022 under martial law that was imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Putin has said Zelensky doesn’t have the right to sign any documents in potential peace deals and that he has lost legitimacy because the country hasn’t held recent presidential elections.

Washington and Moscow are holding talks to potentially bring an end to the three-year-old war. Observers of the conflict worry Trump may strike a deal with Putin that pressures Ukraine to abandon its aspirations to join NATO and cede its currently occupied territories, effectively capitulating to Moscow’s demands.

Trump has said he believes Russia holds the upper hand in any negotiations, as Putin’s forces have “taken a lot of territory.”

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday, responding to a question about whether he would label Putin a “dictator” as he did Zelensky: “I don’t use those words lightly … I think we’re going to see how it all works out. Let’s see what happens. I think we have a chance of a really good settlement between various countries—you’re talking about Europe, you’re talking about Ukraine. The other side has a lot of support also. So let’s see how it all works out.”

What Happens Next

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on February 22 that Trump is very confident a deal on the war in Ukraine could be finalized as soon as this week.