With ‘Ending Ukraine-Russia war in a jiffy’ dazzling in Trump’s speeches and more than 45% of Republican voters not in support of US aid to Ukraine, everybody knew that there would be a sudden shift in the US stand on the war. But nobody expected that the most-awaited Trump Zelensky meeting would turn into a verbal spat and end in just 10 minutes. 

Following his return to presidential power, Donald Trump has been hurling executive orders one after another without a break. From cutting off foreign aid to sending many immigrants without paper back home, Donald Trump is signing papers and passing orders like a machine. Looking at Trump’s first presidential term, it was clear that he would not hold back for long when it came to the Ukraine-Russia war. 

Even Zelensky knew that dealing with Trump won’t be easy as he isn’t going to just sit back and keep providing aid to Ukraine like Biden. In exchange for the aid to continue, Zelensky was expected to sign a mineral deal, but instead, he witnessed a harsh berating and humiliation in front of the world media. 

So what went wrong? What set the stage for such a disastrous political disagreement and which way the wind of war will turn now? Let’s find out through this blog post.  

Trump’s Stance on Ukraine 

Before we discuss what happened during the Trump Zelensky argument, it’s necessary to understand what Trump had in mind for the crisis. Trump made it clear that he wishes to end the Ukraine-Russia war as soon as he comes in power. 

Ukraine Is Responsible for the War

One of the first statements came from Trump after sitting on the iron throne of the USA was 

“Ukraine is responsible for starting the war and Zelensky is a dictator”

This was posted on the social media network Truth Social and it surprised many world leaders. This came after Zelensky blamed Trump of continuing with Russian disinformation.  

Later when asked about calling Zelensky a dictator, Trump said “I can’t believe I said that”

Trump made it clear that he wishes to end the war even if it results in Ukraine losing some of its territory claimed by Russia. Trump even suggested fresh elections in Ukraine amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Before even speaking to Zelensky, Trump raised many eyebrows because of his 90-minute telephonic conversation with Putin. 

Zelensky was not happy with Trump’s decision to discuss the matter with Putin alone. The US and Russian delegations met in Saudi Arabia and it didn’t include Ukraine. This is what triggered Zelensky. For Zelensky, it was like deciding your future without even consulting you. 

Mineral Deal 

Trump then went forward with his strategic move to get Zelensky to sign a mineral deal in exchange for protection (which was not guaranteed). Trump stated that when Americans would be extracting rare earth metals in Ukraine, it would offer automatic security to Ukraine. Keep in mind that the idea of a mineral deal was coined by Zelensky last year as a way to offer the US a specific reason to support Ukraine. 

The Expected Meeting 

After finally agreeing on the mineral deal, Zelensky stated that it is a preliminary and he wants the US to offer complete security while deterring Russian aggression to which Trump replied the US would not provide guarantees “beyond… very much”. Trump also made it clear before the meeting that the idea of Ukraine becoming a NATO member is not acceptable. 

What Happened During Trump Zelensky Meeting?

Let’s break down the heated discussion, or what people are saying Trump Zelensky argument into two phases and try to fathom it in a better way. 

Accusations and Interjections during Trump Zelensky Meeting

There was a half an hour of affable discussion in the meeting before the verbal clash erupted. JD Vance, the vice-president, said that “the path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy”.

The word “diplomacy” might have triggered Zelensky and he shoved in referring to Russia breaking the ceasefire, killing his people and not exchanging prisoners”. He then asked Vance “What kind of diplomacy are you talking about?” to which Vance replied “The one that is going to end the destruction of your country”

JD then went on a rant and accused Zelensky of disrespecting the US. Instead Zelensky should be thankful to Trump for trying to put an end to this. But before Vance could complete what he was saying, Zelensky interjected and said, “ Have you ever been to Ukraine, that you say what problems do we have, come once?”.

This acted as a springboard during the discussion and from there, Vance began accusing Zelensky of bringing people in Ukraine on a propaganda tour and attacking the American administration that is trying to end the war. 

Zelensky then further added fuel to the fire by saying “You have nice ocean and you don’t feel any problems now but you will feel it in the future”

Trump chips in 

Zelensky trying to dictate how the US is going to feel, provoked Trump who was sitting and just listening to Vance and Zelensky’s heated exchange of words. 

Trump then charged “You are not in a good position to dictate what we are going to feel and you are playing cards, gambling with lives of millions of people and gambling with world war 3”. But Zelensky, instead of listening, kept babbling during Trump’s fulmination. 

Vance then asked Zelensky if he even said “thank you” once? To which Zelensky replied that “Do you think that if you speak loudly about the war…”  and Trump then hushed Zelensky and said “you have done a lot of talking”. 

“Your country is in big trouble and you are not winning this. You can just come out of this war because of us”

Trump also called Biden stupid and said that Obama gave Ukraine sheets. When a reporter asked what if Russia breaks the ceasefire, Trump said that was during Biden. Russia doesn’t respect Biden and Obama, they respect me. 

What happened next after Trump Zelensky meeting?

EU Trumpets its support to Ukraine 

Just after the meeting, European leaders showered their support on Zelensky through social media. Political leaders from Britain, France, Poland, and many other EU countries clearly stated that they still stand with Ukraine. But the EU will have to keep an even keel between their support for Ukraine and relations with Trump. 

Trump’s Statement 

After the meeting, Trump withdrew the US from negotiations with Ukraine and said that Zelensky can come back to America when he is ready for peace. He then repeated what he said during the meeting, “ He has disrespected the US and is not ready for peace”

Zelensky’s Statement 

After the fiery Trump Zelensky argument, or what we can formally say as Trump Zelensky meeting, Zelensky gave an interview to CNN. When the reporter asked whether he owed an apology to Trump, he said “I respect America and its people but some things should be discussed without media”. It clearly shows that Zelensky was not happy with how he was schooled in front of the world media, but he also said he didn’t want to lose his friendship with the US. 

Zelensky even tweeted

Look at Both Sides

Zelensky has been trying to protect his country for more than 3 years while also trying to hold on to his leadership position and aid from other countries that have been challenged by Putin in many ways. When Trump was elected, even Zelensky knew that the road to ‘NATO’ membership and deterring Russian offense won’t be easy, but the last thing Zelensky would wish for is withdrawal of the US support. 

On one side, Trump doesn’t want to be the mother of nature (gives without expecting) of politics as the country has already spent $65.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the invasion. Trump wishes to get the mineral deal so that it can reduce its dependency on China without upsetting Russia. That’s how Trump rules “Keeping everyone happy while taking a bite of profit out of everyone’s meal’.

What’s next?

On the other side, Zelensky knows that continuing with just military aid from EU nations and the US is just buying time for his country before its collapse. The mineral resource is his last resort and he doesn’t wish to lose it just in exchange for “no-guaranteed security”. He wishes the US to act against Russia and get a seat under the NATO roof.

Now the big question is ‘Was Zelensky overdosing on aspiration and would it cost him loss of US aid or was standing against a political juggernaut like Trump sent a positive message to the world? No one knows and only time will tell whether the fiery debate will prove to be fatal or Felicitous for Ukraine and whether Trump will gravitate more towards Russia or not?