Donald Trump has branded Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” in a scathing social media attack amid peace deal talks.

The US president said his Ukrainian counterpart had done a “terrible job” and that he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.

He said: “I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and millions have unnecessarily died – And so it continues…”

He said Mr Zelensky, who he labelled a “modestly successful comedian”, had talked the US into spending $350billion to “go into a war that couldn’t be won”.

“He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle’,” he added.

Mr Trump said: “A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”

He said the US was “successfully negotiating an end to the war with Russia”, saying it was something that “all admit” only h is administration can achieve.

Mr Trump also attacked European leaders on his media platform Truth Social.

He said: “The United States has spent $200billion more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back.

“Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand equalisation, in that this war is far more important to Europe than it is to us — we have a big, beautiful ocean as separation.”

He added: “Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring peace, and Zelensky probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.”

Mr Trump’s had earlier falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war. He also said Mr Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 4%, so the country should hold an election.

But Mr Zelensky pushed back on several unfounded claims while arguing that a deal to end the war needs Ukraine’s involvement.

Speaking at a press conference, the Ukrainian president said: “I am protecting Ukraine, I can’t sell it away, I can’t sell our state.

“With all due respect to President Donald Trump, as the leader of a nation that we respect greatly … [he] is living in this disinformation space.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said President Zelenskyy is not a dictator.

She added: “He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion.

“Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine. President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight – and that includes the UK.

“We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending – there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.”

Meanwhile John Bolton, Mr Trump’s former national security adviser from his first term, said: “Trump’s characterisations of Zelensky and Ukraine are some of the most shameful remarks ever made by a US President. Our support of Ukraine has never been about charity, our way of life at home depends on our strength abroad.”

A White House official said Trump’s attack on Zelensky were because of comments made by Ukraine’s Predident on Wednesday morning, ncluding arguing that Trump lives in “a disinformation space”.