WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters-WSAU) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump ended in disaster on Friday, after the two leaders traded verbal blows at the White House over the war with Russia.
The visit by Zelenskiy was designed to thank President Trump for the minerals deal and said he wanted to talk about what the U.S. was willing to do. He said he hoped that “together, we can stop him”, referring to Russia’s President Putin. Zelenskiy reportedly stated that Ukraine needs more U.S. air defenses.
He showed Trump some pictures of the conflict. ”Even in the war there are rules … These guys, they don’t have rules,” he added, referring to Russia.
The Ukrainian leader differed with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on the war, with Vance questioning Zelenskiy about his government’s incapacity to increase Ukrainian military recruitment and failure to retake any ground captured by the Russian military in recent years.
Trump took to Truth Social after the clash to say Zelenskiy of disrespecting the United States saying, “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved,” he wrote, using an alternative spelling of the leader’s name. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” President Trump also stated that Zelenskiy is “gambling with World War III.”
Zelenskiy was asked to leave the White House early following the confrontation, without signing a deal between Ukraine and the United States over the joint development of natural resources.
President Trump is not ruling out a future agreement with Zelenskiy, a White House official told Reuters. But it is up to the Ukrainians to reschedule while Zelenskiy is still in the country, the official said.
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