Richard Grenell Defends Trump’s Criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Being a Dictator

Grenell’s Defense of Trump’s Statements

Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for special missions, has defended Trump’s recent criticism of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy as being a "dictator." Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on Friday, Grenell said:

"I’m so thankful that we have a president who’s concentrating on peace. And that’s what Donald Trump has just said: ‘You know, let’s stop. Remember that we handed Joe Biden total peace in the Middle East and total peace in Europe. He handed us a war in the Middle East and a war in Europe.’"

Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany and Trump’s acting National Intelligence Director, was responding to a reporter’s question about whether he supported Trump’s recent characterization of Zelenskyy as a "dictator."

Grenell’s Explanation of Trump’s Criticism

Grenell explained that Trump’s criticism stems from Zelenskyy’s rejection of holding elections and his failure to make "great choices for peace." He added:

"I think the American people are really frustrated with Zelenskyy. I think that there’s a big frustration that he’s not making great choices for peace. And again, when the American people are spending hundreds of billions of dollars, there is a frustration."

Grenell emphasized that Trump is focused on ending the war in Ukraine and that he has a different approach to foreign policy than previous Republican leaders. He said:

"What President Trump is saying very clearly: ‘We have to stop this war.’ He’s somebody who is concentrating on saying to both sides: ‘Let’s talk to both sides and figure out how we stop this.’ But I want to say that’s really important in this conversation is Donald Trump has done something different than Republican foreign policy leaders have done for 25 years. We articulate very clearly under Donald Trump, we don’t do regime change. We are going to deal with the countries that are in front of us. And our criteria is not how do we make that country better [but] how do we make America better, stronger, and more prosperous for the people that live here."

Grenell’s Potential Run for California Governor

Grenell also mentioned the possibility of running against former Vice President Kamala Harris if she decides to run to be California’s next governor. He said:

"Honestly, it’s not in my plan unless Kamala Harris runs for governor. I mean, here’s the thing. We already know who she is. We’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars to define who Kamala Harris is. If she thinks that she’s going to run for governor of California, but a Republican is going to win, and I may not be able to resist trying to run against her."

Grenell has previously expressed interest in running to replace current Governor Gavin Newsom, but he has said that it is not in his current plans. He has criticized California’s political leaders for their handling of the recent Los Angeles wildfires and has said that the Trump administration will be attaching strings on future federal funding to California to ensure such a disaster does not happen again.