‘Kids Were Dying’: After Trump, Musk Shreds Zelenskyy Over Old Vogue Photoshoot with Wife- wna24
New Delhi: A day after US President Donald Trump labelled the Ukrainian leader a “dictator without elections,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a sharp swipe at Volodymyr Zelensky over his participation in a 2022 Vogue photoshoot amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Responding to a post on X featuring the Vogue cover image, Musk shredded the move, stating, “He did this while kids are dying in trenches on the war front.”
This comes a day after Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and warned the Ukrainian President to “move fast” in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump, who has repeatedly signalled a desire to bring the conflict to a close on terms Kyiv deems too favourable to Moscow, lashed out at the Ukrainian leader in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.
“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 U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,” Trump stated.
While Trump accused Zelenskyy of benefiting from American aid and misusing funds intended for Ukraine’s defence, official U.S. data indicates that approximately $183 billion has been allocated to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Trump further reiterated his criticism of Zelenskyy during a business meeting in Miami hosted by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, stating that the Ukrainian leader had done a “terrible job.”
Zelenskyy has previously dismissed Trump’s stance, arguing that the US president is influenced by Russian disinformation. “We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia,” Zelenskyy had said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested that Zelenskyy’s approach was counterproductive, cautioning that publicly criticizing Trump would not change his stance. “The idea that Zelenskyy is going to change the president’s mind by bad-mouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Vance said.
Ukrainian officials, on the other hand, have continued to voice concerns over Trump’s position on the war. “Why should dominance be handed over to a country that is an aggressor, a violator of international law, and the author of aggression against Ukraine?” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy. “We still do not understand this strategy.”