This appeared last week:
Zelensky, Trump clash in bitter Oval Office talks
Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason
Updated Mar 1, 2025 – 11.22am, first published at 4.45am
Washington | Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump clashed publicly at the White House, during which the Ukrainian leader was berated for being both disrespectful and not thankful enough to Trump and the US in general.
Plans to hold a signing ceremony between the two leaders on a resources’ agreement, demanded by Trump, were cancelled. A joint press conference also was cancelled. Zelensky was soon afterwards escorted to his vehicle by a protocol official.
The visit by Zelensky had been designed to help Ukraine convince the US not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
The meeting quickly devolved into a shouting match between Trump, vice president J.D. Vance and Zelensky. For his part, Trump insisted Zelensky was losing the war and said, “people are dying, you’re running low on soldiers”.
Trump then threatened to withdraw US support. “You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty,” Trump said.
“You don’t have the cards. Once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position. But you’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest. That’s not a nice thing.”
Zelensky pushed back, openly challenging Trump over his softer approach toward Putin, urging him to “make no compromises with a killer”.
Trump stressed that Putin wants to make a deal. “You are gambling with World War Three,” Trump told Zelensky at one point, urging him to be more thankful.
Zelensky also pushed back on Trump’s claims that Ukrainian cities have been reduced to rubble by three years of war.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev appeared to revel in the spectacle, writing on Telegram that Trump had delivered the “truth” to Zelensky and saying the Ukrainian leader had received a “brutal dressing down”. He called for military aid to Ukraine to be halted, something Moscow has long been pushing for.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was a miracle that Trump and Vance had restrained themselves from hitting Zelensky.
Russia has long portrayed Zelensky as an unstable and self-obsessed US puppet who was used by the previous Biden administration to try to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow by “fighting to the last Ukrainian”. Zelensky has rejected that characterisation.
Trump calls for ‘immediate’ ceasefire
Hours after the meeting with Zelensky, Trump said he wanted an “immediate” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and warned Zelensky to make peace or lose American support.
“That was not a man that wanted to make peace,” Trump said to reporters before flying to Florida. He added, “I want a ceasefire now”.
Trump said he believed that Putin was ready for a peace deal.
Zelensky made an appearance on Fox News on Friday evening, in which he said his public spat with Trump and Vance was “not good for both sides”. But Zelensky said Trump needs to understand that Ukraine can’t change its attitudes toward Russia on a dime.
Zelensky added that Ukraine won’t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive.
“It’s so sensitive for our people,” Zelensky said. “And they just want to hear that America (is) on our side, that America will stay with us. Not with Russia, with us. That’s it.”
‘You didn’t say thank you’
The White House clash undermined efforts by European leaders – from France and the UK this week – to convince Trump to provide security guarantees for Ukraine even if he has refused to deploy US soldiers on Ukrainian soil to maintain peace.
During the confrontation between Trump and Zelensky, Vance interjected that it was disrespectful of Zelensky to come to the Oval Office to litigate his position, a point Trump agreed with.
“You didn’t say thank you,” Vance said. Zelensky, raising his voice, responded: “I said a lot of times thank you to American people.”
Shortly after Zelensky left the White House, Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social that Zelensky “is not ready for peace”.
“I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Trump last week called Zelensky a “dictator”.
Zelensky repeatedly defended his nation, and its determination for a “lasting peace”, which he did again in a post on X following the White House meeting.
European leaders – including those from Germany, Poland, Spain, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova – rallied behind Zelensky in posts on X.
Moldova President Maia Sandu said: “The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom—and ours. We stand with Ukraine.”
‘Better war, than shameful peace’
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, posted: “Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President @ZelenskyyUa. We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.”
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Zelensky after he left the White House, the Élysée palace said. “We must ... respect those who have been fighting since the beginning,” Macron earlier told reporters in Portugal.
Just the word “wow” is how Oleksandr, 40, a Ukrainian military officer fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, responded to the footage of the argument.
“We still have a lot of work to be done,” he wrote. “Better war, than shameful peace.”
Earlier, Trump welcomed Zelensky on his arrival at the White House before they headed for talks, lunch and then a joint press conference where they were to sign the agreement.
“I hope I’m going to be remembered as a peacemaker,” Trump said.
Trump told Zelensky that his soldiers have been unbelievably brave and that the United States wants to see an end to the fighting and the money put to “different kinds of use like rebuilding”.
Trump has adopted a much less committed stance toward European security, a change in tone that has sent shockwaves across Europe and stoked fears in Kyiv and among its allies that it could be forced into a peace deal that favours Russia.
With files from AP, Washington Post
Reuters
Here is the link:
https://www.afr.com/world/europe/zelensky-trump-clash-in-bitter-oval-office-talks-20250301-p5lg31
With what has happened in the last week of so it is hard not to conclude that Donald Trump is not someone you would willingly trust to be in your corner and to me that means Australia needs to re-calibrate how we are going to proceed in the world!
We need to re-asses all our alliances and linkages and challenge all our old assumptions based on the “American Alliance” which is now defunct to a large degree. I would not trust Trump or Vance as far as I could throw them and I reckon Australia should plan accordingly – seeking to bolster alliances that we might be able to trust. The UK, Europe and India, as well as the friendly states closer, need a lot more work as do efforts to improve economic links with Asia and China. We ae more on our own than ever and we need to plan for this.
Anyone got other clever thoughts? Scandinavia has some smart nations we should become more way friendly with I reckon! Ukraine also should be fostered!
We are on our own, the US cannot be relied upon, and we need to forge our own path I believe…
What do you think?
David.
2 comments:
Agree David time to rethink. Trump is driven by greed, North America’s economy has a large stake in military hardware. It won’t be long before the greed takes over and he is starting little wars. For all the talk of what they did for Ukraine, removed most of it was redundant and obsolete weapons which were destined for landfill.
But that aside the prick is stabbing everyone in the back - don’t think that passes as acceptable.
A French minister summed the situation up nicely today
Washington has become the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service.
“Claude Malhuret ”
Well worth the 8 minutes to listen to his speech.
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