Elon Musk brands Zelensky 'evil' for pushing 'forever war' with Russia after Trump told Ukraine president he 'won't be around very long' if he doesn't deal with Putin

Elon Musk has branded Volodymyr Zelensky 'evil' for pushing a 'forever war' with Russia.

'Zelensky wants a forever war, a never-ending graft meat grinder. This is evil,' Musk wrote on X in reaction to a Truth Social post by Donald Trump lashing out at the Ukrainian leader for saying the end of the war with Russia was 'still very, very far away'.

'This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,' an infuriated Trump posted on his Truth Social website after upping the pressure on Kyiv to end the war.

Trump added that Zelensky 'doesn't want there to be peace as long as he has America's backing'.

Musk also alleged in another post that Zelensky 'wants a forever war' because he would otherwise 'lose his spotlight on the international stage'.

US President Trump hinted during a press conference on Monday that Zelensky might not survive long as Ukrainian president if he continued to make demands ahead of a peace deal.

'It should not be that hard a deal to make,' Trump told reporters at the White House. 

'It could be made very fast. Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long. That person will not be listened to very long.'

In reply to a post on X claiming that 'Zelensky knows if the war ends, his power ends' and branding him a 'dictator', Musk said: 'True. As distasteful as it is, Zelensky should be offered some kind of amnesty in a neutral country in exchange for a peaceful transition back to democracy in Ukraine.'

This echoes a statement by Trump, who also called Zelensky a 'dictator' for not holding elections in Ukraine, where Martial Law has been declared since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022.

On Monday, Trump was asked what Zelensky needed to do to resume talks with Washington. 

'Well, I just think you should be more appreciative, because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin,' he said, before repeating a falsehood about levels of American aid.

He added: 'We've given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us.'

Trump is pushing for a rapid deal to end the war in Ukraine. His administration has held talks with Kyiv on a rare earth minerals deal that would allow Washington to recoup some of its costs. 

On Friday, Zelensky visited the White House to discuss the minerals deal, but the meeting ended in disaster after him and Trump clashed in the Oval Office over whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted. 

Zelensky then traveled to the UK where European leaders - among them France, Germany and the UK - and Canada scrambled to thrash out a joint position on Ukraine at an emergency summit before reiterating their support for the war-torn country.

Trump said: 'It is what I was saying, this guy doesn't want there to be Peace as long as he has America's backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.'

Trump said he would give an update on the minerals deal during his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. 

He added on Monday in what appeared to be an attack on European leaders: 'Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?' 

This comes after NATO chief Mark Rutte on Sunday pointed to promises from more European countries to 'ramp up defence spending', while insisting that Washington remained committed to the transatlantic alliance.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that European countries should raise their defence spending to between 3.0 and 3.5 percent of GDP to respond to Washington's shifting priorities and Russia's militarisation. 

Last week, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK would increase its defence spending to 2.5 per cent of its GDP, slashing the aid budget, with plans to increase military spending to three per cent soon after.

While the US is the largest single donor of aid to Ukraine, more than 50 allies and partner countries have provided security assurances to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. 

As of December 31, 2024, Europe had contributed 132.3bn euros in allocated aid, versus 114.2bn given by the US. 

Europe's contributions are also expected to keep flowing; 115.1bn remained to be allocated from Europe, with just 4.84bn from the US.

The key difference is in what the U.S. is able to supply. Britain has been able to match the U.S. with long-range missiles, able to hit deep into Russian territory. And the Challenger 2 tank has been one of the most reliable fixtures on the battlefield.

But American air defences - and their sheer volume - are critical to fending off Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and disrupting utilities.

Long range ATACMS missiles can also 'make a significant difference in the war', according to Olga Tokariuk, Academy Associate, Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme. 

The summit between the European leaders, where countries promised to increase their defence spending to react to Washington's shifting priorities and Russia's militarisation, has been commended by US national security advisor Mike Waltz. 

'We welcome the Europeans taking a lead in European security,' he told reporters at the White House and even praised Sir Keir and Macron. 

'I mean that's been an underpinning. They have to invest in the capability to do that. They're certainly showing a will. Both Starmer and Macron showed that will last week before Friday.'

Waltz added: 'We also had the NATO Secretary-General on the phone with the president before President Zelensky came. We welcome Europe stepping up for Europe, but they have to also invest in the capabilities to do so.

'All of that was evident was before Friday, and he [Zelensky] could have been left with economic guarantees that benefited Ukraine […] it's really confounding to us why we had such hostility coming in.'