India, Feb. 21 -- French President Emmanuel Macron threw his weight behind Volodymyr Zelensky, the embattled leader of war-torn Ukraine on Thursday, saying he was elected in a "free system",

Macron's statement came after US President Donald Trump branded Zelensky a "dictator."

"He is a president elected in a free system," Macron said in a question-and-answer on social media, referring to the Ukrainian president.

Macron also launched a scathing attack on Vladimir Putin, saying that the Russian leader has been 'manipulating his elections' for a long time.

"This is not the case for Vladimir Putin, who has been killing his opponents and manipulating his elections for a long time," Macron said about Putin.

The French leader will be travel...