President Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator without elections” after the Ukrainian president said Mr. Trump was in a “web of disinformation.”

The simmering feud between President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and President Trump escalated on Wednesday when Mr. Trump mocked his counterpart in a post filled with falsehoods, calling him a “dictator without elections.”

His comments came hours after Mr. Zelensky said the American leader had been “caught in a web of disinformation” from Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The pointed exchange was set off by a meeting of American and Russian officials to open talks on ending the war in Ukraine that excluded the Ukrainian government. After that meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Mr. Trump suggested that Ukraine had started the war, a comment that brought a strong rebuttal from Mr. Zelensky on Wednesday morning.

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  • Rentlar@lemmy.caEnglish
    14·
    3 days ago

    As of today, we’re over the “dictator-like” boundary and squarely into “dictator” for Trump’s behaviour:

    Truth social screenshot

      • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
        6·
        3 days ago

        I don’t understand why USDOT approval is required to impose tolls in the first place. If it were the interstate, sure, but it looks like this is just downtown Manhattan.

        kagis

        Ah, okay, I think that this is probably it. Apparently tolls require federal approval if there’s federal funding involved.

        https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/tolling_and_pricing/tolling_pricing/section_129_faqs.aspx

        May tolling be allowed under 23 U.S.C. 129 if the activity that authorizes tolling is funded without Federal assistance?

        Yes. A State may elect to fund a project qualified to be tolled under 23 U.S.C. 129 with or without Federal-aid assistance, and the absence of Federal-aid does not restrict the State’s eligibility to use 129(a) authorities to toll a Federal-aid highway or bridge owned by the State.

        And it sounds from the article like the project is getting federal funding:

        Observers had speculated that he would try to withdraw federal approval for the plan or threaten to withhold federal funding.