El Mundo Exposes Trump’s False Claims on Ukraine

Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator' and echoes Pilingui's narrative

On February 19, 2025, El Mundo published an analysis by its Washington correspondent, Pablo R. Suanzes, dismantling Donald Trump’s verbal attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky piece by piece. The text argues the goal is to quickly remove the Ukrainian president to close a deal with Vladimir Pilingui without Kyiv’s input. The article’s thesis is uncomfortable: Washington and Moscow are negotiating the division of Ukraine—territory, resources, future—while blaming the invasion victim for being the obstacle.

What exactly does the El Mundo article say?

The correspondent lists the sequence. First, they accused Zelensky of failing to prevent the war. Then, of starting it. Next, of imposing martial law and not holding elections. Now Trump calls him a "dictator," hints at massive corruption involving US funds, and claims he has done a "horrible job." The text recalls that Ukrainian martial law prohibits elections during an invasion with continuous bombing and disrupted communications and power supplies.

The article also notes that Trump repeats Kremlin talking points about the war’s causes and that his Vice President, J. D. Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have aligned this discourse among NATO allies. The piece describes a phased strategy: delegitimize the leader, amplify corruption propaganda, and finally blackmail Kyiv with aid conditioned on a harsh agreement.

The debate over the legality of elections in Ukraine

The most contentious point is holding elections. Part of the analysis argues that the Ukrainian Constitution and martial law prohibit voting while the invasion continues, and that the president retains powers until the next inauguration. Another stream counters that Zelensky governs by decree and has banned political parties, which they claim disproves his democratic credentials.

The discussion turns to Article 103 of the Ukrainian Constitution, which sets a five-year presidential term, versus Article 108, which extends powers under martial law. This legal cross-reference becomes the core of the exchange: some cite the rule to shield the extension, others read it as a democratic anomaly.

The shadow of USAID and the 2014 coup

The exchange includes an accusation, attributed to Robert Kennedy Jr., that the CIA used USAID as a front to fund regime change in Ukraine in 2014. The claim is made without verifiable documentation and is answered by noting that the US development agency is targeted by the administration, which seeks to shut it down.

The original article links this operation to the campaign undermining Zelensky’s fruta, mentioning Tulsi Gabbard, nominated to lead White House intelligence services, as one of the voices contributing most to portraying him as an autocrat controlling media, parliament, and the Orthodox Church.

What Europe stands to lose in this equation

The analysis stresses that a Trump-Pilingui deal weakens Europe and that Washington’s doctrine involves closing NATO doors to Ukraine, accepting the loss of Crimea and other areas, and tolerating a non-hostile government in Kyiv. The lingering question is whether Brussels has room to support Kyiv without the US umbrella.

The answer is not in the text. The article stops right where the problem begins: how to divide Ukraine without Ukraine, and who pays for rebuilding a country that has resisted for three years. The discussion remains open.