Trump refuses to call Putin a dictator after Zelensky attack: ‘I don’t use those words lightly’

Donald Trump refused to call Vladimir Putin a dictator on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite having previously described Volodymyr Zelensky with the same term.

While in the Oval Office with Emmanuel Macron at the White House to discuss the conflict, the US president said he did not use those words lightly and "we'll see how it all works out."

Mr Trump has falsely accused Mr Zelensky of being a dictator who "refuses to have elections."

Mr Zelensky was elected as president of Ukraine in May 2019. While elections were previously scheduled to go ahead in 2024, they were not held as a result of martial law being in place.