An unprecedented scene of tension in the Oval Office, in front of the cameras. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky faced each other publicly, the American president raised his voice and threatened his guest , guilty in his opinion of not wanting to make concessions to Russia and of not really wanting peace.
And so what was supposed to be, at least in the intentions of the Ukrainian leader, the thawing meeting with the signing of the agreement on rare earths, has become the meeting that can lead to the definitive breaking of the close anti-Putin bond that has existed in these three years of war between the US and Ukraine. So much so that the joint press conference of the two leaders was canceled and Zelensky left the White House after the clash, kicked out by Donald Trump, the US administration announced. The agreement on rare earths, however, fell through .
At the beginning, the two announced the agreement on rare earths, Zelensky claimed that "Trump is on our side" and told his interlocutor that "Putin is a killer" with whom he "does not accept compromises". Trump, after announcing a "fair" agreement on rare earths and saying that peace "is near", responded that if he wants the end of the war he must instead "compromise" with Russia .
Initial bickering. But the conversation degenerated, going beyond the basic rules of diplomacy, starting with the intervention of Vice President JD Vance, who heavily criticized Zelensky, accusing him of "ingratitude" and "disrespect" towards the US, to which he makes continuous requests. "Have you ever said thank you at least once?" , he asked him.
Zelensky responded to the tycoon's number two: " Have you ever been to Ukraine? You have a beautiful ocean and you don't feel the effects of the war but you will feel them ."
Trump then blew up and an unprecedented escalation began: "Don't tell us what we'll feel, we'll be fine and strong," he said, raising his voice. "You've put yourself in a bad position," he urged. " You're not the one holding the cards, come to an agreement with Russia otherwise we're out," the US president snapped, shouting . "And if we pull out, you'll have to deal with it on your own and I don't think it'll go so well. Without our weapons you would have lost the war in 15 days ."
And again, after having defined his interlocutor as “not very intelligent”: «You must be grateful, you cannot come here and tell us 'I want this, I want that'. You are playing with the Third World War and with the lives of millions of people , what you are doing is very disrespectful for our country».
A "lack of respect", Trump attacked him, also demonstrated by the fact that Zelensky did not show up in a jacket and tie but in a polo shirt and black pants . Upon Zelensky's arrival, Trump had greeted him with a joke, which later turned out to be a veiled criticism: "Today you are very elegant".
Immediately after the clash, Trump wrote a post on the social media Truth, essentially dismissing Zelensky as he had already done in person: "Today at the White House we had a very significant meeting. It is amazing what comes out of emotions and I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he believes that our involvement gives us a great advantage in the negotiations . I do not want advantages, I want Peace. He has disrespected the United States of America in their beloved Oval Office. He can return when he is ready for peace ."
The Ukrainian leader's comment on X was decidedly more relaxed: "Thank you America for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you to the president, to Congress and to the Americans. Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for this ."
(Unioneonline/L)