European Leaders React to Trump's Statement that Zelenskyy is a "Dictator": "It Is Extremely Wrong and Dangerous"

It is extremely wrong and dangerous to deny the democratic legitimacy of President Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in response to US President Donald Trump's statement that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator.

‘It is extremely wrong and dangerous to deny the democratic legitimacy of President Zelenskyy. The truth is that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected as the head of state of Ukraine. The fact that regular elections cannot be held in time of war is in line with the requirements of the Constitution of Ukraine and electoral law. No one should claim otherwise. For almost three years, Ukraine has been defending itself from the merciless Russian aggressor war. Day after day,’ Scholz said.

‘This is absolutely absurd,’ said German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock in her commentary on the US president's statement.

‘This is absolutely absurd. If you don't just tweet quickly, but see the real world, you know who in Europe, unfortunately, is forced to live in dictatorial conditions - people in Russia, people in Belarus. We support them as Europeans on their way to the European Union to protect our democracies together,’ she said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Volodymyr Zelenskyy of his support after US President Donald Trump called the Ukrainian president an unelected ‘dictator’.

‘The prime minister spoke to President Zelensky this evening and stressed the need for everyone to work together,’ Starmer's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added that the prime minister ‘expressed his support for President Zelensky as the democratically elected leader of Ukraine’ and said it was ‘perfectly reasonable to suspend elections in time of war,’ as the United Kingdom and other countries did during World War II.

Czech President Petr Pavel said in response to US President Donald Trump's statements against Ukraine and its leadership that it was extremely cynical to call the democratically elected president of a country that has been repelling the aggression of a neighbouring state for three years a ‘dictator’.

‘What value would elections have in a country that has been defending itself against aggression from a neighbouring nuclear power for three years? How to organise elections when a fifth of the territory is occupied and the whole country is under daily shelling? It takes a lot of cynicism to call the president of such a country a dictator,’ the Czech president wrote.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed his unequivocal support for Ukraine amid deteriorating relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.

In a video message posted on social media, Trudeau clearly stated that ‘Canada and our allies’ are united in their support for Zelenskyy and oppose Vladimir Putin.

‘Canada and our allies unequivocally stand in defence of Ukraine against Vladimir Putin's illegal, immoral and unjust violations of the international order,’ Trudeau said.

He also noted that in the coming hours he is to meet with his European partners to discuss further steps to support Ukraine and protect international rules.

The Prime Minister of Sweden rejected Trump's comments calling Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’.

‘President Zelensky was elected democratically. I think that no one wants elections more than Ukraine, because elections would mean that there is peace in Ukraine, and they can govern their country again,’ the prime minister said.

He warned that the outcome of the war in Ukraine would affect Europe's security for years to come as the continent's leaders grapple with Washington's changing plans for Ukraine under Trump.

‘Europe and the world are now at a crossroads. The way the war against Ukraine ends will affect the security of the whole of Europe for generations to come,’ Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference in Stockholm.

Kristersson also stressed the need for ‘significant rearmament to meet both Ukraine's needs and Europe's needs after a certain peace in Ukraine’.