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Trump’s buddy Elon Musk joins brutal attack on Zelensky branding him ‘despised dictator’ as he waves chainsaw on stage
ELON Musk has followed President Donald Trump's lead and lashed out at Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky by labeling him as a dictator in a fiery social media rant.
Musk and Trump have been waging a war of words with their Ukrainian counterparts in recent days following the president's accusations of Zelensky as an illegitimate leader.
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The Tesla boss attacked the Ukrainian president as he challenged him to hold a presidential election to prove his popularity.
He didn't hold back with his assault, sharing his views about Zelensky with his 218 million X followers.
"If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election. He knows he would lose in a landslide," Musk wrote.
"In reality, he is despised by the people of Ukraine, which is why he has refused to hold an election.
"I challenge Zelensky to hold an election and refute this. He will not.
"President Trump is right to ignore him and solve for peace independent of the disgusting, massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers," he added.
The Tesla CEO also replied to a tweet defending Zelensky on Thursday by calling the leader a "dictator."
Trump made similar remarks earlier this week.
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He slammed Zelensky as a “dictator” and a “moderately successful comedian” before blasting him for delaying elections during wartime.
The 232-word blast on Truth Social was the 78-year-old's strongest rebuke of Zelensky to date - and made crystal clear that he believes only the US has the clout to end the war in Ukraine.
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The recent claims that Zelensky is an illegitimate president come after Vladimir Putin has spent the last few weeks throwing out the same accusation.
Zelensky was voted into office in 2019 with 73% of the vote, and his five-year term ended in 2024.
But because of Russia's illegal invasion, Ukraine has declared martial law, which suspends elections under the Ukrainian constitution, leaving Zelensky in charge.
President Trump also openly admitted to being "very frustrated" with Zelensky - saying he had a "personal" problem with him.
Kyiv swiftly replied by accusing Washington of being "in a disinformation bubble" and falling into Russia's trap.
Zelenksy also warned the world must either choose "Putin or peace."
US national security adviser Mike Waltz responded by saying the "insults to President Trump are unacceptable."
The scathing back-and-forth comes just days after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to begin crucial peace talks - notably leaving out Ukraine.
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Fears have grown ever since Trump bypassed Ukraine and European leaders to do business directly with the Kremlin.
Washington has largely dominated the talks so far, with Trump holding phone calls with both Putin and Zelensky to hear their key requirements and bring about a resolution.
Trump has urged both Kyiv and Moscow to achieve peace quickly but has raised fears over what a deal could mean for Ukraine in the future.
This has also ignited concerns for European nations that feel any deal with Putin will be disastrous for the continent as they continue to be frozen out of talks.
The UK and France have since suggested a peacekeeping plan that UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to propose to Trump in Washington next week.
It is said to involve putting up to 30,000 British and European troops on the ground, an idea that Putin has called "unacceptable."
Starmer has backed Ukraine in the ongoing feud with Trump but is hoping to act as a mediator between the US and Europe when he meets Trump on Thursday.
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He is set to show Trump how European forces can help protect any peace deal that is secured to deter Russia from breaking the terms of the agreement.
However, peacekeeping troops would face an impossible dilemma if Putin betrayed a peace deal, defense analysts told The Sun.
'Impossible dilemma’ Brit troops face if Putin betrays peace deal
EXCLUSIVE by Juliana Cruz Lima
EUROPEAN peacekeeping troops would face an impossible dilemma if Putin betrayed a Ukraine peace deal, defence analysts have warned.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has drawn up a peace plan for Ukraine that could see thousands of Western boots on the ground.
If a multinational force is deployed to secure Ukraine's borders, what happens if Mad Vlad Putin launches another offensive in the future?
Former diplomat Tim Wilsey warned that peacekeeping missions are fraught with dangers - and Western troops could face a nightmare scenario.
He told The Sun: "If a European or multinational force was put into Ukraine, and in three years’ time Putin kicks off again… what do we do?
"Do we open fire or do we just put on our tin hats and let it happen?"
Sir Keir has backed a 30,000-strong "reassurance force" to secure key cities, ports, and infrastructure after President Zelensky warned the West must choose between “Putin or peace.”
But military experts say Starmer's plan is far too small to be effective, with Finnish MEP and former general Pekka Toveri warning at least three times that number would be needed.
"You would need 150 to 200,000 troops there and then you have to rotate them so you need three times more," Toveri told The Sun.
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