New Delhi: Talks between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and American president Donald Trump collapsed in ten fiery minutes after a tense exchange in the Oval Office, with Trump and his Vice President J.D. Vance publicly chastising Zelenskyy in front of the world’s media.
Demanding that the Ukrainian leader show more gratitude for American support, Trump and Vance told Zelenskyy that he was being “disrespectful”, and that he should work harder to agree to a ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelenskyy was eventually told to leave the White House early, and the scheduled news conference with him and Trump was cancelled.
It was an extraordinary exchange that no doubt shocked Ukraine and Europe at large. The hope going into the meeting was that both countries would sign the minerals deal—which has been praised by both sides, and would give the US a greater stake in Ukraine—but no such deal was signed.
What began with questions about security guarantees for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia turned into an angry shouting match.
“We have empowered you to be a tough guy…You either make a deal or we are out. You don’t have the cards,” said Trump to Zelenskyy, who seemed to be fuming. The Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, was seen helplessly with her head in her hands as the argument escalated.
“He can come back when he’s ready for peace,” Trump wrote on social media after the meeting, repeating that Zelenskyy had disrespected the US in its Oval Office, right before visuals emerged of the Ukrainian President’s car driving away from the White House.
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A new kind of diplomacy
Tempers flared after nearly forty minutes of cordial talks between both sides.
While there were several major flashpoints during the meeting, tensions really began to boil over when Vance entered the conversation and said the “path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy”.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you talking about? What do you mean?” asked Zelenskyy, saying Russia was the aggressor by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, after failed ceasefire talks in 2019.
Vance then called him disrespectful for “litigating” the situation in front of the media. The tense back-and-forth between the two continued while Trump sat back and watched. What drew Trump back into the conversation was what many are calling a faux pas on Zelenskyy’s part: “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel it now, but you will feel it in the future,” said Zelenskyy.
Trump then seemed to lose his cool at the suggestion that the US had failed to grasp the severity of the situation.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You’re in no position to dictate that,” said Trump, raising his voice. “You don’t have the cards right now.”
Trump also took issue with Zelenskyy’s repeated refrain that Ukraine has been “alone” in the war, but is still thankful for global support. Trump, who sees the war as a drain on American taxpayers, reminded Zelenskyy that Ukraine is not alone because of America’s “stupid president”—referring to former president Joe Biden, who rallied NATO behind Kyiv and pledged financial and military aid.
This is when Vance asked Zelenskyy whether he’d ever thanked the US for their help.
“Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war,” Zelensky began saying—only for a visibly irritated Trump to cut him off.
“He’s not speaking loudly,” Trump said in defense of Vance. “Your country’s in big trouble. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.”
It was a public dressing down of Zelensky, in which the American president and vice president seemed to be reprimanding him for being reckless and ungrateful. “Just say thank you!” demanded Vance at one point.
An unceremonious exit
As the talks began to spiral out of control, Zelenskyy was left trying to say his piece before Trump and Vance, but seemed backed into a corner in the Oval Office.
After the shouting match, Trump huddled with his key advisors immediately in the Oval Office, according to reporters who were part of the press pool.
White House officials confirmed to reporters that Trump consulted Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio before coming to the conclusion that Zelenskyy was not in a position to negotiate. Then, he directed Rubio and his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to tell Zelenskyy it was time to leave the White House.
The Ukrainians were reportedly waiting in a separate room, and were meant to reconvene before lunch—as standard protocol for visits with foreign leaders typically dictates. But as the prepared food sat on carts in the hallways, the Ukrainians were instructed to leave, according to reporters.
Zelenskyy was seen speaking into his phone in the car as he left the White House shortly after.
An outpouring of support for Ukraine and Zelensky from European leaders followed, with statement after statement from every major European country expressing solidarity. The meeting now puts immense pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is hosting an international meeting on Ukraine Sunday with Zelenskyy and leaders from across Europe.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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President Trump seems to have appointed JD Vance to talk tough with all Europeans. Vance’s repeated admonishments and pontifications to the Europeans is fast making him an undesirable person for these nations.
But he is an asset for USA. The Americans have indeed chosen wisely this time around.