Trump officials slam Zelenskyy, as Western leaders rally around Ukraine

Following a highly publicized meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the outcome of the meeting is uncertain.

In front of reporters at the Oval Office on Friday, the two leaders, along with US Vice President JD Vance, discussed the upcoming Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy arrived at the White House immediately after Trump greeted the Ukrainian leader with a joke about his outfit, and there were signs that the meeting would be prickly.

Soon, tensions grew as it became clear that the leaders had disagreements regarding the terms of a mineral deal that would grant the US broad access to Ukraine’s rare earths in exchange for its support of Kyiv’s conflict with Russia.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any agreement must contain genuine security guarantees for Ukraine, something that Trump has so far avoided.

Trump blasted President Vladimir Putin for stifling peace talks, before blaming Zelenskyy for his friendly relations with him.

Vance called the Ukrainian leader “disrespectful” before asking him, “Have you said “thank you” once,” leading to outright agression at the press conference.

Before the Ukrainian leader and his delegation were ushered out of the White House, the meeting abruptly ended.

The deal for rare earth minerals also went unsigned, leaving no uncertain ground for the deal. Trump isn’t currently interested in reviving it, according to an unnamed White House official who spoke to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

According to the same official, the Ukrainian delegation was instructed to leave the White House after “begging” to sign the deal.

Soon after the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump, “Congress, and the American people.”

He wrote, “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working just to achieve that.”

The Ukrainian leader then appeared on Fox News, a conservative news program in the US, where he was repeatedly asked if he would apologize to Donald Trump.

The Ukrainian leader declined, saying it was “not good for both sides” but regretted the public racial spat.

Zelenskyy remarked, “I’m not sure we did anything wrong.” The way that Ukraine views Russia is held is unchangeable. They murder us, “killers.”

However, Zelenskyy responded, “of course, when asked if the relationship with Trump could be saved.”

He ought to apologize.

Numerous prominent Trump administration figures have publicly criticized Zelenskyy and accused him of disrespecting the president, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, who described the meeting as a “fiasco” and questioned whether the Ukrainian leader actually desired peace.

Rubio told CNN, “He didn’t need to enter that place and start acting antagonistically.”

Everyone who has been in contact with them in the days leading up to today should be deeply irritated by that active, open undermining of efforts to bring about peace, he said.

Top Republican Senator Lindsey Graham addressed reporters outside the White House, praising Zelenskyy’s apology or Ukraine’s “get someone new” to lead the nation. Graham also referred to the meeting as an “utter disaster.”

Prior to the meeting, Graham, a vocal supporter of the Ukraine and a devoted Trump ally, advised Zelenskyy to concentrate on the mineral deal and refrain from discussing security guarantees and the ceasefire with Russia.

Zelenskyy told me to “do not take the bait,” I warned him this morning. Last night, President Trump was “in a very good mood,” Graham claimed.

He continued, “I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again.”

Senior Democratic Party legislators in both houses of Congress have criticized Trump and Vance’s exchange with the Ukrainian president. Zelenskyy has received their support.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the row “appalling,” before Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer charged Trump with doing “dirty work.”

According to Jeffries, “President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the global stage.”

Additionally, according to a statement from 14 of the top Democratic governors, Trump and Vance were accused of “berating” Zelenskyy by using the Oval Office to “berate” him for not believing in Vladimir Putin’s words.

Instead of undermining President Zelenskyy’s efforts to defend his country and the freedom of his people after Russia invaded, the statement read, “Americans must protect our strong democratic values on the global stage.”

Soon after the meeting, Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to Zelenskyy as a “scumbag,” which Moscow supported. Hungary’s far-right, populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, praised Trump for standing “bravely for peace.”

However, Kyiv has received a significant amount of international support.

Numerous Western countries have condemned the Trump administration’s actions in the hours since the spat, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who vowed that his country “will continue to stand with Ukraine.”

“Russia invaded Ukraine in a legally and illegal manner.” Ukrainians have fought bravely and tenaciously for three years. Their fight for democracy, freedom, and sovereignty is a matter of course, he said.

The exchange was described as “serious and disheartening” by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Source: Aljazeera