BRUSSELS — The exchange of criticism between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump further escalated on Wednesday after Trump labeled the Ukrainian leader a "dictator".

"I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and millions have unnecessarily died," Trump says in a post on Truth Social.

"Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left," he added.

Trump's harsh words came in response to an earlier statement by Zelensky, who said that the US president was living in Russia's "disinformation space," following Trump's allegations that Zelensky's role as president was illegitimate due to no elections in Ukraine.

Ukraine was scheduled to hold a presidential election in March or April 2024, concluding Zelenskyy's first five-year term. The vote was postponed as the country's constitution does not permit elections under martial law, which was declared on 24 February 2022, the day when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin repeatedly sought to use the delay to portray Zelenskyy as "illegitimate," a claim rejected by Kyiv as a distortion of the constitution.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said that he is open to discussing elections in Ukraine, but this is not something that his compatriots want due to concerns that lifting martial law could weaken the country’s defense.

"I am focusing on the survival of our country. I've been doing this throughout my term," he said.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the most recent presidential election in Russia in March 2024, when incumbent President Vladimir Putin won his fifth term with 88% of the vote.

The election was marred by the fact that Putin faced no credible opposition due to several candidates, including Alexei Navalny, being barred from running by the Central Election Commission, among other irregularities.

Most international observers rated the vote as neither free nor fair. — Euronews