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Inside Trump & Zelensky’s VERY personal feud…from Volod’s TV trolling 9yrs ago to Don’s ‘f**king corrupt’ 2019 blast

A BATTLE of two presidents is turning the world dramatically upside down as Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s fiery feud continues.

The respective leaders of Ukraine and the US have had a chaotic relationship dating back to 2016 with the pair throwing not-so-subtle digs at one another ever since.

Screenshot of a news segment featuring a man reacting to images of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
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The comedian turned politician has made a number of subtle digs at Trump in the past[/caption]
Video call split screen showing Donald Trump in the Oval Office and a group of men laughing.
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Zelensky, bottom right, laughing out loud as a Ukrainian TV showed an embarrassing sketch of Trump in 2019[/caption]
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy seated together.
AP:Associated Press
The pair back in 2019 when their personal feud started to drift into their political careers[/caption]
Ukrainian soldiers firing artillery near Bakhmut.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for three years
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Their personal tension has bubbled over this week following on from Trump’s vow to end the Ukraine war quickly.

The Republican has been steadfast in his approach to making both Ukraine and Russia agree to a peace deal – but many fear any deal struck by the Don could favour Vladimir Putin.

These thoughts stem from recent comments from Trump who openly criticised the Ukrainian leader and branded him a “dictator”.

Trump also slammed Zelensky as a “modestly successful” comedian before blasting him for delaying elections during wartime.

The US president has openly admitted to being “very frustrated” with Zelensky – saying he had a “personal” problem with him.

Trump’s close pal Elon Musk later lashed out at Zelensky too as he labelled him as a “despised dictator” in a fiery social media rant.

The stern verbal rampage came after Zelensky argued Washington should careful when they negotiate with Moscow,

He felt betrayed by Trump after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to begin crucial peace talks – notably leaving out Ukraine.

The recent back and forth between the proud patriots is just the latest in a string of barbs each have thrown at each other.

2016: ZELENSKY TAKES AIM

The first time the pair are believed to have referenced one another came on a Ukrainian talk show featuring Zelesnky – then a star comedian – back in 2016.

Speaking about the lead up to that years US election, Zelensky made a comedic dig at the business tycoon turned Republican favourite.

He told TV viewers on the show: “Hillary won a confident victory in the debates, but considering that Donald Trump is the founder of the Miss World beauty contest, defeat in an intellectual competition should not upset him.”

Before he said the punchline: “Because he is probably betting on a swimsuit fashion show.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a talk show; inset shows Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
YouTube/@studiya95kvartal
Zelensky made a joke about Trump and swimsuit models back in 2016 when he was only a comedian[/caption]
Donald Trump with Miss USA and Miss Universe contestants.
Shutterstock Editorial
Zelensky made the barb as he referenced Trump being the founder of the Miss World beauty contest[/caption]

2019: TRUMP’S TROUBLES

One of the first times the pair spoke came in 2019 as Trump phoned up Zelensky after he won the Ukrainian election.

Trump congratulated him before adding “you will do a great job”.

But his clear hostility towards Zelensky is also often traced back to the same year.

The Republican landed himself in trouble as he was impeached over allegations he withheld almost $400million in US security assistance to Kyiv unless it complied with Trump’s requests.

The main issue Trump had was Hunter Biden – the son of Trump’s future political foe Joe.

Complaints from Trump’s team ahead of the 2020 election saw them claim Biden had lobbied Ukraine to dismiss its top prosecutor to hamper an investigation into energy firm Burisma.

Hunter was a board member for the energy company at the time.

Just a few months later, Trump called upon Zelensky to “get to the bottom” of the allegations and launch an investigation to bring the Biden’s into disrepute before election day.

Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy seated together.
Getty - Contributor
The infamous 2019 meeting between the two presidents[/caption]
President Trump and President Zelensky shaking hands.
AFP or licensors
Zelensky visited Trump in New York in 2019[/caption]

The claims have never been proven and no wrongdoing was ever found.

Trump was also acquitted by the US Senate in 2020.

It was later revealed that Zelensky had voiced his concerns over Trump’s pressuring nature regarding the allegations.

He was said to have issues over Trump and his associates pressing him to take action that could have had an affect on the 2020 presidential race, sources close to Kyiv said.

Images of the pair from a later date showed them both sat together in New York with an awkward look on their faces.

A reporter even quizzed Zelensky on the concerns during the joint visit as they both tried to play down the source’s remarks.

2019: BIZARRE PIANO SKIT

In 2019, Zelensky was sat front row as his former TV pals performed a New Years skit where they impersonated both Trump and Ukraine’s newly elected leader.

The short clip shows Trump on a video call to Zelensky as he passionately says: “I don’t like a lot of words, I like concrete actions.”

An overly exaggerated Trump then stands up and makes the bizarre move to pull down his trousers.

Moments later he appears to play Jingle Bells on a piano with his penis from inside the Oval Office.

The camera then pans to the real life Zelensky in the audience who can be seen cackling as he watches the performance.

Donald Trump impersonator saying "I like concrete actions," with an inset of an audience laughing.
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In 2019, an actor impersonated Trump in front of the Ukrainian president[/caption]
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Zelensky was seen laughing at the skit[/caption]

2020: TRUMP’S X-RATED RANT

At the end of his first term in office, Trump reportedly ripped into Zelensky and Ukraine.

Former US National  Security Advisor John Bolton said over five years ago that Trump wasn’t Zelensky’s biggest fan when he first became president.

Bolton quoted Trump as saying: “I don’t want to have any f***ing thing to do with Ukraine.

“They f***ing attacked me. I can’t understand why… They tried to f*** me. They’re corrupt. I’m not f***ing with them.”

Despite the claims, Trump has dismissed his ex top aide as a “wacko” and “grossly incompetent” in recent years.

John Bolton is scheduled to publish a memoir of his time with the Trump administration on June 23
John Bolton quoted Trump as blasting Zelensky in 2020
Reuters

2024: WAR TALK

Trump has repeatedly claimed if he was the president then the Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 would have never happened.

Trump is known to have held a close bond with Putin that not many other global leaders have ever managed.

But when he was ousted by Biden, Putin went full steam ahead with his assault across the border – causing three years of bloodshed.

One of Trump’s main selling points during his impervious 2024 election campaign was how he would be able to end the war within “days”.

But Zelensky didn’t appear to agree with the Republicans clear goals.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at a press conference.
Alamy
The pair met in the months before Trump’s seismic election victory[/caption]
Ukrainian firefighters work at the site of a strike in the city of Kramatorsk on February 13, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At least one person was killed and 5 injured in the strike on a residential area of Kramatorsk. According to preliminary information, the Russians dropped 2 FAB-250 bombs on the city. A 46-year-old man died from his wounds, and among the wounded was a 16-year-old girl. Two houses and several cars were damaged, according to the Donetsk Regional State Administration Telegram channel. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has always been adamant that if he was president then the three years of bloodshed in Ukraine would have never taken place
Getty

Last September, he told the New Yorker magazine: “My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he might think he knows how.”

Three days later, Trump hit back on his campaign trail as he accused Zelensky of “making little nasty aspersions toward your favourite president, me”.

Before adding: “Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have right now.”

The duo met up in New York that same month as they both came out of the meeting brimming with confidence that the war would end soon.

2025: TRUMP’S PUBLIC OUTBURST

As negotiations have continued over finding a peace deal in Ukraine, the relationship between the two have only worsened.

Their personal spats have spilled over into the public eye in recent weeks.

Zelensky has even been urged to flee Ukraine “immediately” amid escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv, insiders in the White House warned.

A source close to the American President told the New York Post “the best case for [Zelensky] and the world is that he leaves to France immediately.”

Asked about the growing tensions between the US and Kyiv, another source close to the White House said the public spat was a long-time coming.

They said: “It’s nothing new to me.

“I heard months ago it’s time for an election and new leadership,”

The “real question is, has anyone told [Trump] they really, really like him?”

Donald is wrong

The Sun Says…

DONALD Trump’s smearing of the Ukraine regime as scam artists who provoked a war using US taxpayers’ money is a rant beneath the dignity of his office.

Almost nothing in it is true.

It reads like a post on a forum for ­conspiracy theorists. It is an unprecedentedly shocking statement from the President of the United States.

Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his imperialist ambitions, nor his denial of his neighbour’s right to exist as a sovereign, free country.

He invaded Ukraine, butchered and raped its people, stole its children and bombed its cities.

President Zelensky — far from duping anyone or inviting the conflict, far from being a “dictator without elections” — has been a heroic wartime leader who needs Western aid to overcome staggering odds.

The idea he is riding a “gravy train” is laughable. And his people, with whom he remains highly popular whatever Trump claims, have resisted conquest with immense bravery.

It is troubling and short-sighted in the extreme for the so-called leader of the free world to have no interest in a war ­raging in Europe because he is separated from it by the Atlantic.

America is not a business where Trump, as CEO, has no task except to slash costs and maximise profits. It is the most powerful democracy on Earth with global responsibilities and — let’s be frank — a duty to discern right from wrong with absolute moral clarity.

Others in the White House should urgently point this out.

Trump has also lashed out at Zelensky on social media and accused him of “refusing to have elections”.

He warned “modestly successful comedian” Zelensky must “move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.

Trump then claimed the Ukrainian president talked the US into “spending $350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn’t be won”.

He also later insisted he “trusts” that Russia wants peace after branding Zelensky a “dictator without elections”.

Fears have even now grown that Trump may bypass Ukraine and continental leaders to do business directly with Moscow.

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 UK and European troops on the ground, an idea that Putin has said is “unacceptable.”

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against accusations that the Trump administration has given in to Russia, saying Washington first wants to see whether Moscow was “serious”.

He said: “US President Donald Trump “wants this war with Ukraine to end.

“And he wants to know: Are the Russians serious about ending the war, or not serious about ending the war?”

Macron, Trump, and Zelensky meeting in Paris.
AFP
The pair back in December 7, 2024 in a meeting with French President Macron[/caption]
Vladimir Putin on the phone.
AP
The fiery feud is set to keep Vladimir Putin happy[/caption] Illustration of a plan for up to 30,000 UK and European troops in Ukraine.

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Sarina Wiegman eyes Nations League victories for England in their first competitive tests this year ahead of Euros 

Sarina Wiegman, England's manager, at a training session.
ALBUFEIRA, PORTUGAL – FEBRUARY 20: Sarina Wiegman, Manager of England, looks on during a training session on February 20, 2025 in Albufeira, Portugal. (Photo by Harriet Lander – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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NOTHING less than two wins is the aim for Sarina Wiegman and England when they face Portugal and Spain in the Women’s Nations League.

While the start of their Euros title campaign is five months away, the Lionesses are fully focused on the present.

Sarina Wiegman, England's manager, speaks with players during a training session.
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A 0-0 draw in July 2023 was the result of the last clash between Portugal and Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses[/caption]
Millie Bright and Ella Toone of the England women's national football team during a training session.
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England will be aiming for an away win against Portugal at Portimao Stadium[/caption]
Nikita Parris of England kicking a soccer ball during training.
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The game could see Nikita Parris play her first game for the Lionesses since November 2022 following her England recall[/caption]

Group place finishes at the end of the Nations League will dictate which sides are placed in each league for the European qualifying games for the 2027 World Cup.

Teams who finish in first and second place in each League A group stay in the top league for the qualifiers.

England boss Wiegman, whose side are in group three of League A, said: “We’re going to approach these games to win this Nations League. 

“This is also important to get us in the best position for the draw, for the qualification for the World Cup. 

“That’s a little further away, but that’s why these games are very important too.”

Speaking to reporters at England’s base in the city of Albufeira in Portugal’s Algarve, full-back Lucy Bronze added: “Everyone’s always going to have one eye on the summer, that’s for sure. 

“But as Sarina said, We are focused on one game at a time. It is important to us. 

“I think the Nations League, the setup now, means that every game matters so much.

“All the teams around us are getting better.

“So it is important that we focus on the here and now.”

While the here and now is a clash with Portugal in Portimao tonight followed by a February 26 Wembley duel with Spain, some fans will look at both as a rehearsal for England’s Euros campaign.

In 134 days the Lionesses will kickstart their quest to remain European Champions.

Their historic triumph in July 2022 was off the back of winning the six games they played at the tournament. 

Results which included a gritty quarter-final defeat of Spain on their way to beating Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley. 

Much has changed on the international stage since then with Spain now a tougher force to be reckoned with, particularly when facing their European rivals. 

The team, managed by Montserrat Tome, won seven of their eight Women’s Nations League on their way to becoming the contest’s 2024 winners.

Their victory last February, following a 2-0 defeat of France in Seville, came six months after beating England in the World Cup final in Australia. 

In 2024 we gained a lot of experience, whether it was good or bad. We learned a lot from that which is going to give us a bit more of an edge.

Along with France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, Spain are among the sides likely to be the biggest challengers to the Lionesses for Euros glory. 

Having lost and drawn two of their last international fixtures, England are eager to get off to a solid start before this summer’s Euros and their next Nations League fixtures in April.

While the team beat South Africa and Switzerland in friendlies last October and December they also drew 0-0 with the USA and lost 4-3 to Germany at Wembley. 

Bronze adds:  “In 2024, maybe some results didn’t go our way. 

“The most important thing is when we get to the summer, that’s when we want to make sure we’re performing for that tournament (the Euros).

“In 2024 we gained a lot of experience, whether it was good or bad.

“We learned a lot from that, which is going to give us a bit more of an edge.”

Filling void left by midfield mainstay Georgia Stanway 

Since her breakthrough as the youngest player in England’s 2019 World Cup squad Georgia Stanway has become a lynchpin in the team’s midfield.

But the Bayern Munich star is in a race to be fit before the Euros.

A collateral ligament tear in Stanway’s right knee means England will be without one of their most influential figures from their 2022 Euros-winning squad for tonight’s game and their clash with Spain. 

A player who was the last to score for the Lionesses against Spain in a major tournament. 

Stanway’s absence has left Wiegman needing to look to midfield alternatives for one of her most tenacious all-round players. 

Bayern expects the midfielder who helped them to two title wins since 2022  her to be out for “several months” following her knee op in January. 

The 75-capped Lioness played in all six games for England at the 2022 Euros.

Her link-up play with Keira Walsh and Wiegman’s forwards has proven effective in some of the Lionesses’ most high stakes encounters in recent years. 

In Stanway’s absence Grace Clinton will be among their midfield options in an eight role. 

Last February Clinton shone on her senior international debut, playing in this position during a 7-2 hammering of Austria. 

A natural is how Wiegman described the midfielder who has impressed with her dribbling ability. 

It took the United player, who spent last season on loan at Tottenham, just 19 minutes to score after making her first start for Wiegman’s England.  

Grace Clinton of England kicking a soccer ball during training.
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Grace Clinton could play in the number eight role for England with Stanway currently recovering from a knee collateral ligament injury[/caption]

Other potential alternatives include skipper Leah Williamson and Leicester ace Ruby Mace. 

England chief Wiegman said: “We have a lot of things in consideration and you’ll see who we’ll pick.

“Of course we think about many, many scenarios, what the options are and at the end, we’ll pick one.”

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