How Putin tried to POISON Trump against Zelensky: Ex-WH aide reveals bombshell call that planted seed of ‘dictator’ jibe

VLADIMIR Putin poured poison in Donald Trump's ear about Volodymyr Zelensky the moment the Ukrainian president was sworn in, his ex-aide told The Sun. White House chief John Bolton listened in to a bombshell call between the US and Russian leaders after Zelensky took office in 2019.

And he believes Putin's twisted words may have sown the seeds for Trump's blistering attack last week - in which he derided Ukraine's hero leader as a "dictator" and a "modestly successful comedian". Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, said Putin "belittled" Zelensky on the call.

He claimed much of what Putin said appeared to reflect in Trump's stunning blast last week. The 76-year-old veteran Republican has been openly critical of Trump since he left office - but Donald has also gone on the attack, branding him a "very dumb person" and a "warmonger".

Bolton told The Sun: "Shortly after Zelensky was sworn in, Putin belittled him to Trump in a phone conversation in ways that I think really affected Trump. "Putin said well we know this guy's comedy shows on Russian television, and he's okay as a comedian, and just implying he wasn't up to the job of being President.".

Trump last week shocked Western allies by unleashing jibes against Zelensky on his Truth Social page. The wartime leader and European chiefs were left reeling after being iced out of initial peace talks between Washington and Moscow to end the three-year war in Ukraine.

But Trump was left furious by Zelensky's annoyance and apparent stubbornness - and issued a ferocious outburst calling him a "dictator" and accused him of having "talked the US into a war that couldn't be won". He raged the war "never had to start" and said Ukraine could "never be able to settle" the conflict without "the US and Trump".

Bolton believes Trump's scalding remarks last week could be traced back to the call he had with Putin six years ago. Bolton told The Sun: "The business about being a dictator, that Zelensky is a mediocre comedian - I was on the phone, I heard Putin basically say exactly that.".

Trump has since seemingly climbed down from the bombshell jibes - with him due to meet Zelensky today at the White House to sign off a deal on minerals that could provide the bedrock for peace talks. Don also yesterday appeared to ease his criticism of Zelensky, joking with reporters "did I say that?" when asked about calling the 47-year-old a dictator.

He also took a softer stance on the Ukraine war as he was love-bombed by UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer - but said he trusted Putin would "keep his word". Bolton told The Sun that Putin's call meant the US president and Zelensky's relationship "didn't get off to a very good start".

He said the pair's relationship had a "problematic beginning" that still hasn't recovered. Bolton added: "Although Zelensky's tried for the last six months to develop a relationship, I just think it's an uphill climb.". DONALD Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky's fiery feud ad turning the world upside down - and the pair have a bitter history.

2016 - Zelensky takes aim. The first time the pair are believed to have referenced one another came on a Ukrainian talk show featuring Zelesnky - then a star comedian - back in 2016. Speaking about the lead up to that years US election, Zelensky made a comedic dig at the business tycoon turned Republican favourite.

He told TV viewers on the show: “Hillary won a confident victory in the debates, but considering that Donald Trump is the founder of the Miss World beauty contest, defeat in an intellectual competition should not upset him.". 2019 - Trump's troubles. One of the first times the pair spoke came in 2019 as Trump phoned up Zelensky after he won the Ukrainian election.

Trump congratulated him before adding "you will do a great job". But his clear hostility towards Zelensky is also often traced back to the same year. The Republican landed himself in trouble as he was impeached over allegations he withheld almost $400million in US security assistance to Kyiv unless it complied with Trump's requests.

2019 - Bizarre panto skit. And in the aftermath of the row in 2019 - Zelensky was treated to a skit featuring Trump playing piano with his genitals on a special New Year's Eve show. The team from Kvartal 95 had Zelensky along as a guest to the event where they had a Trump impersonator take to the stage.

The short clip shows Trump on a video call to Zelensky as he passionately says: "I don't like a lot of words, I like concrete actions.". 2020 - Trump's X-rated rant. At the end of his first term in office, Trump reportedly ripped into Zelensky and Ukraine.

Former US National  Security Advisor John Bolton said over five years ago that Trump wasn't Zelensky's biggest fan when he first became president. Bolton quoted Trump as saying: “I don’t want to have any f***ing thing to do with Ukraine. “They f***ing attacked me. I can’t understand why… They tried to f*** me. They’re corrupt. I’m not f***ing with them.”.