President Donald Trump said Friday it was unimportant for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be in meetings to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war—escalating a feud that began earlier this week after Zelensky rejected a deal to give the U.S. rights to some of Ukraine’s mineral resources.

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky was a comedian with no political experience when he announced that he would be running in Ukraine's 2019 presidential election. Six years later, and he is now an embattled wartime leader and a symbol of Ukrainian defiance of Russian aggression.

After Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” and began talks with Russia, even some of Zelensky’s harshest domestic critics have begun defending him.

Keith Kellogg and President Volodymyr Zelensky were expected to discuss possible paths to ending the war and ways to defuse tensions between Washington and Kyiv.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend a meeting during the United Nations General Assembly summit in New York City, U.S., September 24, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File photo OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stressed in a call on Thursday that any talks to end the war with Russia must include Kyiv at the negotiating table,

South Africa said Friday that talks to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine must involve all parties and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected on a state visit soon for discussions.