Trump slams Zelensky, says he could have joined peace talks with Russia in Riyadh

US President Donald Trump has hit out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that he had done a "terrible job" and could have joined peace talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia if he wanted to.

Trump's statement at a press conference comes hours after he also called Zelensky a "dictator" on social media.

"A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," Trump posted.

Notably, President Zelensky was absent from the meeting, and he made a statement after the high-level talks that his country would not accept any outcome of the war since it was left out of the negotiations to end it.

The US officially began a series of negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine

During a press conference held at his Florida residence, Trump doubled down and said, "Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the barbarianism that's going on over there. Soldiers are being killed by thousands on a weekly basis. Apart from Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, a lot of Koreans have been killed. We want to end it. It's a senseless war. It should have never happened."

He also blamed Ukrainian President Zelensky for starting the three-year-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He said, "Today I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren't invited.' Well, you been there for three years. You should have ended it three years ago. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."

Trump, who is trying to bring the fighting to a close on terms that Kyiv says are too favourable to Moscow, used an extended social media post on his Truth Social platform to lash out at Zelensky and call the Ukrainian a "dictator without elections".

"Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the US and 'TRUMP', will never be able to settle," Trump said of Zelensky, who was a popular television star in Ukraine before running for office.

The US has obligated about $183 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the US special inspector general, conducting oversight of American assistance to Ukraine.

While Ukraine claims to be left out from the negotiations, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reassured that they will be an important part of any decisions made on the conflict-ridden territory.

Rubio, as quoted by the media, said, "No one is being sidelined here. Obviously, there's going to be engagement and consultation with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe and others. But ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort."