Trump called the Ukrainian president a 'dictator,' as European leaders try to assert more control over negotiations.

European leaders have tried to avoid getting into arguments with U.S. President Donald Trump since his reelection. That approach is being tested following his verbal attack on Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg — who traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday and whose planned news conference with Zelenskyy on Thursday was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity — struck a positive tone after what he said on the social platform X was “a long and intense day” of talks with Ukraine’s senior leadership.