Elon Musk has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after his heated argument with Donald Trump, where Trump told him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out.”
Related : WATCH : Trump Warns Zelensky: “He Better Not Be Right” About Prolonged War
Zelensky met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday in the Oval Office. The meeting was originally supposed to set the stage for a U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement, which Kyiv hoped would help secure future foreign investments and financial aid from the U.S. However, the conversation quickly turned into a tense argument. Vance criticized Zelensky for not showing enough appreciation for U.S. support, which led to a heated exchange. The conflict caused a planned press conference to be canceled, and the Ukrainian President was soon escorted out of the White House.
Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump’s closest economic and foreign policy advisors, weighed in on the situation on his social media platform, X. Responding to a post by Benny Johnson, Musk pointed out that American public opinion is shifting against continued support for Ukraine.
Johnson wrote: “More people now think the U.S. is helping Ukraine too much – up from 7% to 41%. On top of that, trust in Zelensky fell from 72% to under 48%. America first.”
Musk then quoted the post, stating: “Zelensky damaged himself severely in the eyes of the public. Just a fact.”
In another post, Musk criticized Zelensky’s approach to the ongoing war. “What I said over 2 years ago was that Ukraine should seek peace or suffer severe loss of life for no gains. The latter was Zelensky’s choice. Now, he wants to do that again. This is cruel and inhumane.”
During the White House meeting, tensions escalated when Zelensky asked JD Vance what kind of diplomacy he was referring to. In response, Vance accused Ukraine of forcing soldiers into battle due to manpower shortages, and insisted that Zelensky should be thanking Trump for trying to end the war.
Vance said, “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the President for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Zelensky pushed back, asking if Vance had ever been to Ukraine to see the situation firsthand. Vance, who had voted against a $61 billion U.S. foreign aid package for Ukraine last year, responded by accusing Zelensky of taking U.S. politicians on “propaganda tours.” Trump then stepped in, telling Zelensky, “You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.”
Zelensky replied, “I’m not playing cards.”
At one point, Vance directly challenged Zelensky, saying, “Have you said thank you once?” Zelensky responded, “I said it a lot of times.” His very first words in the meeting had been: “Thank you so much, Mr. President, thank you for the invitation.” However, Vance seemed to be asking for a broader acknowledgment of U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine.
This is not the first time Musk has criticized Zelensky. Last month, he accused him of running a “fraud machine feeding off the dead bodies of soldiers.” Musk also claimed that Zelensky was “despised by the people of Ukraine” and challenged him to hold an election to prove otherwise. He added, “President Trump is right to ignore him and solve for peace independent of the disgusting, massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.”
Trump himself has also been highly critical of Zelensky. Before their meeting, Trump blamed him for the war and zelensky responded by accusing Trump of falling for Russian misinformation. Trump, in turn, labeled Zelensky “a dictator without elections.” However, Zelensky originally won 73% of the vote in Ukraine’s 2019 presidential election but delayed elections due to the war.
The public dispute has raised questions about the future of U.S.-Ukraine relations. According to reports, Trump is now demanding that Zelensky make the first move to repair their relationship.
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with Zelensky in London the day after the White House confrontation. Starmer reassured Zelensky that Britain remains fully committed to Ukraine and announced a new £2.26 billion military aid package. British Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that more than £2 billion from frozen Russian assets will be used to support Ukraine’s defense sector—marking the first time such funds have been allocated for military use. Reeves is also expected to adjust the £27.8 billion National Wealth Fund, which was previously reserved for infrastructure projects, so that it can now support Britain’s defense industry.
