(Photo courtesy of CNN) “Things got heated when Trump and Vance clashed with Zelenskyy during a White House meeting on Friday.”
Nate Coady
Connector Staff
President Trump got heated again this past Friday at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was meant to be a discussion about granting the U.S. access to rare minerals in Ukraine. According to the BBC, Zelenskyy believed this deal could have led to further deals with the U.S. concerning security toward Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
Unfortunately, due to an ugly spat at the White House at the tail end of their discussion, as of the time I am writing this, the deal was not signed.
Zelenskyy left The White House early. It started when a question was posed to Trump about his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump answered the question by relating it to a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, saying that he is aligned with “the world” not Putin. After he gave his answer, JD Vance interjected, who I’d forgotten was even the Vice President with the way Elon Musk has been portrayed in the media as of late. Vance praised Trump for his engagement in diplomacy. What followed was the complete opposite of diplomacy.
Zelenskyy responded to Vance’s remarks with references to Russia’s attempts to annex the Crimean Peninsula and other parts of Eastern Ukraine back in 2014. He made clear that what Ukraine wants is a lasting peace agreement. One that will not be broken like the Minsk Agreements, originally signed in 2014 to stop Russia’s advance in Ukraine. Trump, clarifying the time Zelenskyy was referring to, said, “2015?” Zelenskyy said, “2014.”
Trump shrugged his shoulders and said, “2014. I was not here.” As if to say whatever claim Zelenskyy was about to assert, it has nothing to do with him. But as the sitting President it does have to do with him. If Ukraine is to achieve a meaningful peace agreement with U.S. support, it would be pertinent for the current president to acknowledge the weaknesses of past deals between Russia and Ukraine in order to solidify a new one that will give Ukrainians the lasting peace they need, and at the very least deserve, after years of violent conflict.
I believe what Zelenskyy was trying to convey to the administration is that Putin is volatile and for the safety of the Ukrainian people, should not be taken lightly. If the U.S. took a stronger position against Putin’s campaign in Ukraine on the world stage, it would mean a better chance at a meaningful and permanent ceasefire. He was trying to emphasize the importance of historical precedent in diplomatic relations. But diplomacy clearly means different things to the Ukrainian politicians and our American ones.
Vance, in the tone of a teacher reprimanding a student, said to Zelenskyy, “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that is going to end the destruction of your country,” clearly not grasping the point of Zelenskyy’s history lesson.
“Yes, but if you are not strong–” Zelenskyy begins before he is interrupted by Vance, “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it is disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” he says gesturing to the cameras.
Further on, Zelenskyy mentioned that America may feel the influence of the conflict in time. But he was interrupted again, this time by President Trump, who said to him, “ You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”
What followed was a back-and-forth argument about disrespect and how the Ukrainian President should be showing gratitude. This led to Zelenskyy leaving early and the mineral agreement not being signed.
I believe that the discussion at the White House was a disgrace for the U.S. Zelenskyy went on Fox News after and cordially gave thanks to the Administration even after the argument and said the relationship could still be salvaged. Props to him for extending the gratitude. Russia invaded Ukraine during the Biden Administration, which means most of the aid given to Ukraine was not delivered under the Trump Administration. Not only that, Trump has called Zelenskyy a dictator.
With all that in mind, I do hope the current administration plays a part in brokering a deal with Ukraine and Russia. But the “diplomacy” displayed this past Friday at the White House is an embarrassment. The irony of Trump and Vance demanding respect from Zelensyy after inviting him to talk at the White House and berating him for the latter part of their discussion is a backward way of supporting the leader of a nation whose sovereignty has been under assault for over two years.
