Trump aide warns Zelensky to stop hurling ‘insults’, start negotiating

KYIV, UKRAINE, FEB 21 (AFP/APP/DNA):The US national security advisor warned Ukraine’s leader to stop hurling “insults” at Donald Trump, as pressure built Friday on Volodymyr Zelensky to sign away precious mineral rights in exchange for Washington’s help defending against Russia.

Tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the proposed mineral deal — which Kyiv has rejected — and Washington’s outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of barbs traded at press conferences and on social media.

Zelensky has warned that Trump has succumbed to Russian “disinformation”, while the US leader has accused his counterpart of starting the war and branded him a “dictator without elections”.

“Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable,” US national security advisor Mike Waltz told a Thursday briefing at the White House.

“President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky, the fact that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered,” he said.

The United States is a vital financial and military supporter of Ukraine, but Trump has rattled Kyiv and its European backers by opening talks with Moscow they fear could end the war on terms that reward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The spat has turned personal with Trump falsely claiming Zelensky is hugely unpopular among his own people and the Ukrainian leader saying Trump lives in a Russian “disinformation space”.

Tech tycoon and Trump backer Elon Musk weighed in Thursday, saying Ukrainians “despised” their president and that the US leader was right to leave him out of talks with Russia.

Amid the war of words, Zelensky said Thursday he had held a “productive meeting” with US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv.

“We had a detailed conversation about the battlefield situation, how to return our prisoners of war and effective security guarantees,” 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 accompany such a visit.