Tensions between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky boiled over last week during what could have been a cordial, diplomatic meeting. The discussion between the two leaders with U.S. vice president JD Vance and other cabinet officials present, began to get heated after Zelensky suggested that Russia was not a trustworthy negotiating partner. Trump appeared to place blame on Zelensky for the war in Ukraine rather than Russia, claiming that he was “gambling with world war three.”
Vice President JD Vance also jumped in at times, asking Zelensky if he had ever once thanked the US for its help, but Zelensky had thanked them just minutes before the meeting began.
These attacks came after several weeks of Trump and Vance attacking Zelensky in the news and spreading misinformation about the war that was previously only discussed on Russian state media. Trump has repeatedly called Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” referencing the fact that Ukraine has delayed their elections because of the war. However, Trump has ignored the fact that the Ukrainian constitution specifically prohibits holding elections during war time. Trump has also blamed Ukraine for starting the war, saying, “They (Ukraine) should’ve never gotten themselves into this,” which completely distorts the reality that Russia has attacked Ukraine unprovoked.
Throughout all of these attacks Trump has been holding negotiation talks with Putin without any Ukrainian diplomats present and even praising the Russian leader for “wanting peace” leaving many US allies worried about the future of Ukraine.
West Po senior Oleksandr Stryzhak moved to the US from Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022. When asked about some of Trump’s recent comments on Zelensky, he expressed concern, “I think it is a clear manipulation that raises questions about where the president is getting his information from.”
Oleks also talked about how he wanted the war in Ukraine to end, saying, “Ideally we would come back to where the border was in 2021, but I think that’s highly unlikely to happen. A more realistic approach would be to settle at the current borders and receive security guarantees from NATO countries. Reparations would be required for impacted families and soldiers, and Russia should be obligated to compensate people for the property and homes that they lost in occupied territories.”
Shortly after Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, the administration announced that all US funding to Ukraine would be frozen. Zelensky then flew to the EU to meet with various European leaders, where they announced a historic increase in defense spending to help Ukraine.
