The U.S. appears to be changing its stance toward Ukraine. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. sent billions of dollars to the country to help fight off the Russian invasion.

However, this week, President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" for not holding wartime elections.

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The comments came just a day after senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine — without any representation from Kyiv present.

Zelenskyy, for his part, has said President Trump has aligned himself with the Kremlin narrative and repeating Russian propaganda.

RELATED STORY | US, Russian diplomats meet on future of Ukraine without involving Kyiv in talks

Scripps News sat down with former National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett to get his reaction to the Trump administration's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Ukraine.

"Putin, it seemed very clear was waiting for Trump to try to take office," Savett said. "He thought he would get a better deal under Trump and unfortunately he may be right."

Watch the full interview with Savett in the video above.