MIAMI — President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he ''better move fast'' to negotiate an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine or risks not having a nation to lead.

The rhetoric from Trump toward Ukraine comes amid an escalating back-and-forth between the two presidents and rising tensions between the United States and much of Europe over Trump's approach to settling the biggest conflict on the continent since World War II.

Trump used an extended social media post on his Truth Social platform to lash out at Zelenskyy and call the Ukrainian a ''dictator without elections." Trump's broadside came not long after Zelenskyy's comment that Trump was being influenced by Russian disinformation as tries to bring the fighting to a close on terms that Kyiv says are too favorable to Moscow.

''Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ''TRUMP,'' will never be able to settle,'' Trump said of Zelenskyy, who was popular television star in Ukraine before running for office.

Congress has actually appropriated about $175 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump, who was in Miami for a meeting of business executives hosted by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, accused Zelenskyy of being ''A Dictator without Elections !!" Due to the war, Ukraine did elections that were scheduled for April 2024.

Trump also contended that Zelenskyy was misusing American aid intended for the war effort and had taken advantage of Democratic Joe Biden's administration.

The Republican president was riled by Zelenskyy's charge that Trump "lives in this disinformation space'' fostered by Moscow. ''We have seen this disinformation. We understand that it is coming from Russia,'' Zelenskyy said.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance told the Daily Mail that Zelenskyy's criticism of Trump was not helping his cause. ''The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president's mind by bad mouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,'' Vance said.

The back-and-forth came after senior U.S. and Russian officials meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to negotiate a settlement to an end to the war. Ukrainian and European officials were not included despite Zelenskyy's insistence that they should be part of any such discussions.

Trump said Zelenskyy should have negotiated a deal earlier. ''Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,'' Trump said.

"In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ''TRUMP,'' and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ''gravy train'' going.''

The rhetoric from Trump went even further than the false charges he made Tuesday against the Ukrainians when he suggested Kyiv was responsible for starting the war. It was Russian that invaded its smaller neighbor.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York was appalled that Trump was blaming Ukraine for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

''It's disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin,'' Schumer said.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he disagreed with Trump's suggestion that Ukraine was responsible.

''I think Vladimir Putin started the war," Kennedy said. ''I also believe, from bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He's a gangster with a black heart'' who has Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's "taste for blood.''

The Trump administration has also shown frustration with Zelenskyy for directing his ministers last week not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. The Ukrainians said the document was too focused on U.S. interests.

The proposal, a key part of Zelenskyy's talks with Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the private talks who were not authorized to discuss them publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ukrainian officials met on Wednesday in Kyiv with retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia.

''It's an egregious war in the sense of the length of time and casualties there and he understands the human suffering,'' Kellogg said of Trump's thinking. "He understands the damage that we can see and we want to see and end to it. I think it would be good for the region and good for the world, as well.''

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Madhani and Pesoli reported from Washington. AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.