U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting at the White House on Feb. 28 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, intended to build a path to ensure peace between Russia and Ukraine. However, the meeting quickly turned into a heated argument filled with accusations. Zelenskyy’s main objective going into the meeting had been to urge Trump not to abandon his country and to warn against moving too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s campaign regarding the war promised to end it quickly, pushing for an immediate peace deal. A part of his plan was for Zelenskyy to sign the minerals deal, which supposedly would have moved Ukraine closer to ending its war with Russia, but at the end of the meeting, he abruptly called off the deal. Zelenskyy believes that a quick resolution is not realistic and that an agreement to end the war is still far away; this comment put Trump on the defensive.
Their conflicting views caused a heated feud and throughout the meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance threw out aggressive and belittling comments towards Zelenskyy. Trump accused Zelenskyy of so-called gambling with World War III and advised him to return when he is ready for peace.
The Oval Office reported a shouting match where President Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. support, warning Zelenskyy that he does not have the cards to win the war alone. Trump ultimately declared himself in the middle and not on the side of either Ukraine or Russia in the conflict. Soon after, he posted on social media that he had “determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace.” On the other hand, Zelenskyy expressed a deep regret that the argument was televised and should have been held behind closed doors. In a television interview afterward, he remarked, “Yes, I think it was not good.”
On March 2, the Trump Administration paused all aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit, until Ukrainian leaders showed more appreciation for U.S. support and a commitment to peace. A White House official stated that the U.S. is “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia.
