Zelenskyy clashes with Trump and Vance about Russia-Ukraine war
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the US Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance about Russia’s war against Ukraine during briefing at the White House.
During a meeting between Ukrainian and American delegations in the Oval Office, Vance once again criticized US President Joe Biden, claiming that for four years, the US had a president who spoke about Putin but failed to prevent Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"For four years we had a president that stood up at conferences and talked tough about Putin. And Putin invaded Ukraine, and destroyed a significant chunk of the country," said Vance.
He added that Biden was "thumping his chest" and "pretending that the words of the US president mattered more than his actions." However, now Trump is showing a "real diplomacy" to end the war.
Zelenskyy asked Vance what diplomatic measures could help end the war, considering that Russia had repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements. The conflict has persisted since 2014, under the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
"I signed a deal with him (Putin - ed.) in 2019. Macron (French President Emmanuel Macron - ed.) and Merkel (former German Chancellor Angela Merkel - ed.) confirmed the ceasefire. All of them told me that he would never go further. We signed a gas contract. He (Putin - ed.) broke our deal and didn’t exchange prisoners. What diplomacy can help here?" the Ukrainian President questioned.
Vance then remarked that Ukraine lacked sufficient manpower to fight Russia, claiming that the country can not recruit enough soldiers.
Trump's reaction
Trump began to claim that Ukraine "doesn't have cards."
"You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War III. What you are doing is really disrespectful to this country and you can't tell us what to do," he said in a raised voice.
The US President again mentioned the false claim that the US had provided Ukraine with military aid worth 350 billion dollars. He suggested that if not for such aid, Russia’s war against Ukraine would have supposedly ended within two weeks.
"I heard it from Putin," Zelenskyy responded to the American leader.
In response, Trump urged Zelenskyy to be grateful for the provided assistance.
"You are running low on soldiers, and then you tell us: 'I don't want a ceasefire, I don't want a ceasefire'," the US president continued.
According to Trump, if Zelenskyy gets the opportunity to negotiate a ceasefire, it should be used.
Zelenskyy's visit to Washington
February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on a visit to Washington. It is expected that soon Ukraine and the US will sign an agreement on minerals. This agreement includes the creation of an investment fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of the profit from the sale of its resources.
Details of Zelenskyy's visit are in the RBC-Ukraine article.
