Zelenskyy-Trump Envoy News Conference Canceled Amid Ukraine Tensio

A  meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the U.S. president's representative to Ukraine, was abruptly called off on Thursday. The last-minute decision, which came at the request of the U.S. group, shows that political tensions are rising between Kyiv and Washington over how to end the almost three-year-old war with Russia.

At first, the meeting went as planned. Zelenskyy and Kellogg shook hands and sat across from each other at a table in Kyiv. However, the scheduled press event, where both were supposed to speak and answer questions, was canceled without any reason other than a short statement from Serhii Nikiforov, spokesman for the Ukrainian presidential office. The White House and the U.S. delegation refused to say anything about the cancellation.

The international tension comes after a week of Zelenskyy and Trump's words worsening. The fighting got worse after Trump decided to talk with Russia about ending the war and repairing diplomatic ties. Kyiv was shocked and angry that they hadn't been asked for their opinion before Trump made his decision.

Zelenskyy spoke out against Trump's choice and said that he was working in a "Russian-made disinformation space." In answer, Trump called Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections," referring to the fact that Ukraine had to delay elections that were supposed to happen in April 2024 because of the war. European leaders, like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, supported Zelenskyy's right to be a politician and said Trump's claims were "wrong and dangerous."

In the meantime, Russia liked the change in how the U.S. was involved. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Zelenskyy's attacks on world leaders were wrong and that Ukraine's government was becoming increasingly isolated.

Even though there is a lot of trouble in international relations, Russia is still attacking Ukraine very hard. Over 160 drones and several types of missiles were fired across Ukraine overnight by Russian troops, aiming at cities like Kherson and Odesa. Six people were hurt in an apartment attack in Kherson, and power went out to almost 50,000 homes in Odesa, making it very cold.

As tensions between Kyiv and Washington worsen, it's unclear how long the US will continue to help Ukraine in its war effort.

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