'Ukraine is democracy, Putin’s Russia is not': EU Commission responds to Trump’s 'dictator' claim about Zelenskyy

European Commission Deputy spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker said this to journalists on February 20, as reported by Radio Liberty.

“We have a very direct and clear position on this matter: President Zelenskyy was legitimately elected in free, fair, and democratic elections,” he said.

“Ukraine is a democracy, whereas Putin’s Russia is not,” the European Commission representative added.

De Keersmaecker emphasized that ending the war cannot be discussed without the participation of Ukraine and Europe, as they must have a voice in any negotiations.

“There can be no solution for Ukraine without Ukraine’s involvement and without the involvement of the European Union. Ukraine’s security is the security of the European Union,” he concluded.

What preceded it

On February 18, Trump stated at a press conference that public trust in Ukraine’s president had fallen to 4%. In response, Zelenskyy said that Trump “lives in a disinformation space.”

The former U.S. president also questioned the $350 billion in aid to Kyiv: “We gave Kyiv, I believe, $350 billion. Well, maybe a little less, but it’s a significant amount. But where is all that money? Where does it go? I’ve never seen any report on it.”

Zelenskyy responded: “We have completely different numbers. Everything is very clear: the war has cost us $320 billion. Of that, $120 billion comes from us, the people of Ukraine, taxpayers. The remaining $200 billion comes from the U.S. and the European Union. These are weapon packages.”

On February 19, Trump claimed that Zelenskyy refuses to hold elections and has very low approval ratings in Ukrainian polls, calling him a “dictator without elections.”

Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Katarína Mathernová stated that elections in Ukraine cannot be held earlier than six months after the end of martial law.