With the open breakdown of discussions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House on Friday, the promise of a U.S.-mediated peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine has been squandered, at least partially.
The original plan had been for the United States and Ukraine to mark an economic partnership as a precursor to ongoing U. S. help and a possible serenity deal, with a table set up in the East Room for a press conference and the signing, but the Oval Office exchange between the men changed everything.
Friday’s deadline started peacefully enough, though Trump did note on Zelensky arriving at the White House soon after 11 a. m. wearing a long-sleeve cardigan T-shirt without a suit. However, less than three hours later, the White House had called a press conference and instructed Zelensky and the Russian delegation to leave the professional campus, with Trump stating that he” can come up when he is set for peace.”
Trump spoke with reporters suddenly after leaving the White House for Florida for the trip and claimed Zelensky had “overplayed his hand.”
Trump suggested that Zelensky’s ask for U. S. security offers would have dragged America into a” 10-year battle”.
When asked what Zelensky needed to do to reopen conversations, he replied,” He’s gotta say, I want to create peacefulness.” It’s about to end the suffering.
Before taking the Marines on the way to Mar-a-Lago, Trump said,” That was not a man who wanted to make peace, and I’m only interested if he wants to stop the killing.”  ,
Before Trump’s conference with Zelensky, management officials held their next sit down with their Russian counterparts on Thursday, this day in Turkey, as Washington tries to restore diplomatic relations with Moscow, including entry to banking and contracted services.
The first appointment with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia took place earlier this month, and representatives from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East specific minister Steve Witoff. They discussed Ukraine and their respective financial arrangements.
What the White House won’t claim, however, is what will happen next for both Russia and Ukraine.
” He feels President Zelensky is not in the correct attitude to discuss peace, and I think, honestly, that was reinforced with his comments]to Fox News’s Bret Baier] refusing to forgive for disrespecting the leader and the American people”, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Washington Examiner of Trump.
Leavitt continued,” I’m no monitoring anything regarding the upcoming actions in the relationship with Putin and the Russians.” The president has made it abundantly clear that both sides must speak evenly to get both parties to agree on a deal. … In any great deal, whether it’s in business or in politics, both sides often walk away a little bit angry, and alas for Zelensky, I think he refuses to acknowledge the practical reality of this war”.
After Trump yelled at him during a televised White House meet, Zelensky for his part canceled a speech at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank focused on foreign policy, and Ukraine House in Washington on Friday, but he continued to appear on Fox News.
Zelensky did drop to apologize to Trump during that exam, but he continued to show respect for both the leader and the people of America.
” I’m not sure we did things poor”, Zelensky said. There are situations where we need to comprehend the positions of Ukraine and Ukraine.
The assertion that marked the conclusion of the Oval Office proposal was made in Zelensky’s first public declaration, which was one of love, after being criticized by Vice President JD Vance for no thanking Trump.
” Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. He wrote on social media,” Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people.” Ucraina requires just and lasting peace, and we are actively working toward that goal.
According to a familiar source, both Trump and Vance “were caught off guard by Zelenksy’s antics” and had not intended for the exchange to turn so tense.
Trump expressed anger with Zelensky’s body language, including “rolling his eyes” and” shrugging his shoulders” on numerous occasions, including when Trump and Vance repeatedly retorted, for example, that Ukraine had taken foreign dignitaries on “propaganda tours” of the war.
” I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media”, Vance said.
The White House claims that Trump then requested Zelensky and his associates leave the Oval Office after reporters were escorted out. Instead of receiving lunch as previously scheduled, the Ukrainians were ushered into a separate room where they pleaded with White House staff to reset.
Ultimately, Rubio and Waltz informed the Ukrainians they should leave the White House, but not until after Trump posted the following statement on social media.
According to Trump,” It’s amazing what comes out of emotion, and I’ve come to the conclusion that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved,” he wrote.” He believes our participation gives him a huge advantage in the negotiations,” I don’t want advantage; I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. When he is ready for peace, he can return.
After that, White House employees consumed the lunch that was prepared for Zelensky and their respective entourages.
The spectacle in the Oval Office prompted an immediate response from across the political spectrum, with Trump allies promoting it as a demonstration of” America First”.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC ) told the Washington Examiner at the White House of Zelensky,” He either needs to resign and send someone over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Graham, a supporter of Ukraine and a member of a different meeting, seized the opportunity afforded by reporters outside to support Trump.
” Somebody asked me, am I embarrassed about Trump”? said Graham. ” The president is the best I’ve ever been.”
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Congress’s first and only Ukrainian-born member of Congress, scrutinized Zelensky for “doing a serious disservice to the Ukrainian people insulting the American president and the American people”.
Spartz wrote on social media,” Just to appease Europeans and lower his low polling in Ukraine after he failed miserably to defend his country.” This is a real war rather than a theater production.
Democrats and more skeptical Republicans, including Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who represents a swing district in Nebraska, condemned Trump and Vance.  ,
” Some want to whitewash the truth, but we cannot ignore the truth”, Bacon wrote on social media. Russia is to blame for this conflict. It’s not my style to criticize Zelensky at every step while warming up to Putin.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France who was present at the White House on Monday, was one of the NATO members who similarly expressed their support abroad. After the meeting became tense due to disagreements over the minerals deal, Macron had intervened to set up Zelensky’s meeting.
” Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim, he wrote on social media. Three years ago, we were right to support Ukraine and sanction Russia, and we are still doing so. By ‘ we,’ I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and continues to do so.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that an international peacekeeping mission meeting with allies was still taking place on Thursday while he was at the White House.
ZELENSKY SAYS HE DOES NOT OWE TRUMP AN APOLOGY FOR DRAMATIC OVAL OFFICE MEETING
No.” The Prime Minister has spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky tonight.” In a statement, 10 Downing Street said. ” He retains his unwavering support for Ukraine and is playing his part to find a path forward to a lasting peace, based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine. The Prime Minister anticipates meeting with international leaders on Sunday, including President Zelensky.
However, the political and practical consequences of the Oval Office are already being felt, with senior officials promising to look into allegations of fraud in U.S. aid to the Pentagon and the Pentagon ordering Cyber Command to stop offensives against Russia.
