'No gratitude!' Donald Trump lashes out at Volodymyr Zelensky as European leaders hold crunch Ukraine talks

In his 282-word post, Mr Trump said: "The War between Russia and Ukraine is a violent and terrible one that, with strong and proper US and Ukrainian LEADERSHIP, would have NEVER HAPPENED.

"It began long before I took office for a Second Term, during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, and has only gotten worse. If the 2020 Presidential Election was not RIGGED & STOLEN, the only thing the Radical Left Democrats are good at doing, there would be no Ukraine/Russia War, as there wasn’t, not even a mention, during my first Term in Office.

"Putin would never have attacked! It was only when he saw Sleepy Joe in action that he said, 'Now is my chance!' The rest is history, and so it continues.

"I INHERITED A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, A WAR THAT IS A LOSER FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SO NEEDLESSLY DIED.

"UKRAINE 'LEADERSHIP' HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA.

"THE USA CONTINUES TO SELL MASSIVE $AMOUNTS OF WEAPONS TO NATO, FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UKRAINE (CROOKED JOE GAVE EVERYTHING, FREE, FREE, FREE, INCLUDING “BIG” MONEY!).

"GOD BLESS ALL THE LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE HUMAN CATASTROPHE! President DJT."

The fiery outburst came just moments after President Zelensky issued a statement about negotiations between Ukrainian and European leaders in Geneva.

"There have already been brief reports from our delegation members about the outcomes of their first meetings and talks," Mr Zelensky said.

"Currently, there is an understanding that the American proposals may include a number of elements based on Ukrainian perspectives and critical for Ukrainian national interests.

"Further work is ongoing to make all elements truly effective in achieving the main goal anticipated by our people: to finally put an end to the bloodshed and war."

President Trump's 28-part peace plan has been criticised by leaders across Europe after it emerged the White House wanted to put pressure on Kyiv to halve the size of its armed forces.

Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday among 13 European and international leaders to describe President Trump's draft proposal as "a basis which will require additional work".

The statement voiced particular concerns about the 28-point peace deal, including on halving the size of the Ukrainian armed forces and barring the ex-Soviet state from joining Nato.

“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force," the 13 leaders said in the letter.

“We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.

“We reiterate that the implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to Nato would need the consent of EU and Nato members respectively.

“We take this opportunity to underline the strength of our continued support to Ukraine. We will continue to coordinate closely with Ukraine and the US over the coming days.”

The draft peace deal would free Moscow from most sanctions and allow Russia to rejoin the G7 - restoring the economic forum to the G8 for the first time since 2014.

President Putin would also walk away with full ownership over Donetsk and Luhansk, and receive international recognition following his decade-long occupation of Crimea.

Meanwhile, Ukraine would be forced to halve the size of its military, with the ex-Soviet state also being banned from owning long-range missiles and shutting down its most effective fighting units.

The draft deal sparked fury from Kyiv, with officials privately putting pressure on other Western nations to condemn the plan drawn up by Steve Witkoff and Kiril Dmitriev.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also issued a rare rebuke of his longtime friend.

“I don’t think Ukraine being asked to halve the size of their army is acceptable,” Mr Farage told The Telegraph.

“I am waiting to see a counter-proposal from Zelensky’s government.”

Meanwhile, US Senator Angus King appeared to compare the plan to Neville Chamberlain’s Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler in 1938.

He said: “It rewards aggression. This is pure and simple.

"There’s no ethical, legal, moral, political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine."

Despite concerns being expressed about the deal, Mr Trump has given Kyiv until Thursday to accept the plan.