Donald Trump admitted that his relationship with Volodymyr Zelenskyy had become “a little tested” before the visit of the Ukrainian president in the White House this week.
But this stress flowing in the link between the two men broke out on Friday in a full -fledged fight in the oval office, reflecting the bad blood that Trump nourished towards Zelenskyy for almost six years.
The extraordinary diplomatic end in Washington will raise new questions about Trump’s ability to negotiate peace talks with Russia – and will trigger new doubts about America’s commitment to guarantee the security of its European allies.
But he also exposed a level of personal animosity which dates back to their initial interactions during the first term of the American president, and led Washington to call for new elections in Ukraine which could lead to the escape of Zelenskyy.
Trump’s disdain for the Ukrainian president had his roots during their first telephone call in 2019, when he pushed Zelenskyy to unearthed without success on the commerce relations of Joe Biden, in the country.
Trump nicknamed the “perfect” conversation, but it was the basis of its first dismissal by the House of Representatives. After Ukraine’s full -fledged invasion by Russia in 2022, with Biden in the White House, Trump became a leading critic from kyiv. JD VANCE, who is now vice-president, has skeptical of Ukraine aid as a leitmotif in its own political increase, initially as a senator from Ohio.
Friday in the Oval Office, Trump and Vance submitted Zelenskyy to a series of scathing and public warmingters, then forced him to leave the White House before even signing an agreement to put a share of the natural resources of Ukraine which were essential to open the way to continuous American support in the midst of peace talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy had tried to repair things with Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign because it seemed more and more likely that he would return to the White House, but some of his efforts turned against him.
During a visit last year, Zelenskyy visited a weapon factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, only accompanied by democrats during the visit of a swing key. This sparked a demonstration by Mike Johnson, the republican president of the Chamber, who described him as “the interference of the elections” at the time, with resentment on the visit which was making a way to the White House on Friday.
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer a few words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who tries to save your country, ”made fun of Vance in Zelenskyy in an exchange of the oval office.
Trump has stacked, exploding the Ukrainian for a lack of gratitude. “I gave you the javelins to eliminate all these tanks. Obama gave you sheets. . . You must be more grateful.
The exchange took place with rolling television cameras and senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sitting and attending spit.
The intervention of Vance was particularly striking – it is very unusual for a vice -president of jumping in such a force discussion with a foreign leader before the president.
Jeffrey Engel, presidential historian of the Southern Methodist University, said that the fact that Trump “was sitting quietly” while Vance was fighting over with Zelenskyy suggests that he approved the vice-president being the “attack dog” in the conversation. “He seemed to be quite orchestrated,” added Engel.
Trump’s white house officials insist that Zelenskyy sparked the spit in “missing” from the president during the discussion.
“I spoke to Zelenskyy this morning. . . President Trump was in a very good mood last night, “Lindsey Graham, Southern South Carolina, journalists, said on Friday after the meeting.
“Am I embarrassed by Trump?” I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud that JD Vance defended our country, ”added Graham.
The American secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, who had led to negotiations on an American-Ukraine mineral agreement which was not signed, told Bloomberg TV: “I was shocked, shocked that President Zelenskyy would come to the oval office and would behave like this.”
Meanwhile, Dan Scavino, a senior administration official, openly laughed at Zelenskyy by publishing the lunch menu with Trump that the Ukrainian delegation did not attend, saying that the White House staff would eat it instead.
The scrap metal in the oval office has triggered indignation among many American allies in Europe. He will be particularly disturbing for Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, who both visited Trump this week in order to push him to positions that would be more favorable to kyiv – including American security guarantees for the country that Trump has beaten as invent.
In the United States, Democrats castigated what they considered a new hollow in Trump’s foreign policy, a month of Trump, accusing his administration of heading to Moscow and reprimanding a partner in a way that would even shiver traditional conservatives.
“Former President Ronald Reagan and the late Senator John McCain are back in their graves,” said Dick Durbin, Democratic Senator of Illinois.
