The invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since Feb. 24, 2022. The United States has been one of Ukraine’s biggest allies. However, recently appointed President Donald Trump has not always been the strongest supporter of the nation. In the past, his attempt to pressure Ukraine for political favors led to one of his impeachments. More recently, he has sided with Russia and spoken favorably about its leader, Vladimir Putin.
This is part of the reason why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump last week. The meeting was also intended to negotiate a deal regarding Ukraine’s mineral resources. However, the discussion quickly went off the rails, with both leaders interrupting each other and clashing publicly over Putin. Trump argued that Zelensky had not shown enough gratitude for U.S. support, which led Zelensky to leave the meeting abruptly. As a result, the remainder of his visit was canceled.
The fallout from the meeting has sparked backlash both domestically and internationally. Several countries have announced increased funding and support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, in the UK, some citizens are urging King Charles III to cancel his upcoming trip to the U.S. in solidarity with Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.
U.S. officials have stated that before talks on the mineral deal can resume, they expect a public apology or an expression of regret from Zelensky regarding the tense encounter. Trump has since posted extensively on Truth Social about the meeting. One of his posts read:
“[T]his guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing. And Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”
Zelensky, for his part, has been more reserved in his response. Speaking to Fox News a few days after the meeting, he stated, “I respect [the] president, and I respect [the] American people.” However, he has not made further comments about the situation in subsequent press events in Europe alongside other European leaders and U.S. allies.
