A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move faster.

He's not going to have a country left.

Got to move.

Got to move fast because that war is going in the wrong direction.

President Donald Trump had harsh words for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post.

I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Thursday, February 20th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories.

In social media posts and speeches this week, President Trump has called Zelensky a dictator and

pushed false claims about Ukraine's

war with Russia. On Tuesday, he falsely said that Ukraine started that war, even though it was Russia

that invaded Ukraine in 2022. Trump was echoing the Russian position that it was pushed into the

conflict due to Ukraine's attempts to join the NATO military alliance.

And since Tuesday, Trump has doubled down on his attacks on Zelensky.

Here he is speaking at a Saudi-backed investment conference in Florida yesterday.

But think of it, a modestly successful comedian.

President Zelensky talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that basically couldn't be one, that never had to start and never would have started if I was president, not even a chance.

That $350 billion figure is incorrect. The U.S. has appropriated just over $174 billion for Ukraine.

Trump's attacks reflect a major shift in U.S. relations with Russia. And they've angered Ukrainians and their allies.

Zelensky hit back yesterday, saying that Trump, quote, lives in a disinformation space.

Our fact checkers took a close look at all of Trump's claims.

You can find a link to that in our newsletter today.

Find that in our show notes.

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