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Vladimir Putin

Does Donald Trump Know What a Dictator Looks Like?

He calls Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator,” but not Vladimir Putin.

Matt Welch | From the October 2025 issue


An image of, from left to right, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin, the latter two are wearing suits. | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Kotenko Yevhen | Ukrinform | CNP | AdMedia | ABACA | APAImages | Polaris | Newscom | Midjourney
(Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Kotenko Yevhen | Ukrinform | CNP | AdMedia | ABACA | APAImages | Polaris | Newscom | Midjourney)

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Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

Vladimir PutinVolodymyr ZelenskyyDictatorshipDonald TrumpMarco RubioForeign PolicyWorldRussiaUkraine