Zelensky had earlier charged that the US president was “living in a disinformation space” that Russia had established after US-Moscow negotiations in Saudi Arabia, from which Kyiv was not allowed.

Trump stated that Ukraine “could have made a deal” sooner when asked by the BBC later how he would address Ukrainians who felt “betrayed” about not being seated at the table.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, later claimed that “nobody is excluding Ukraine” from discussions on ending the conflict.

Three years ago, eight years after it unilaterally annexed Crimea, Russia launched a full-scale invasion that ignited the conflict in Ukraine.