{"id":128336,"date":"2025-03-01T15:41:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T15:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-oval-office-thrashing-of-zelenskyy-shows-limits-of-western-allies-ability-to-sway-us-leader-the-associated-press\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T15:41:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T15:41:43","slug":"trumps-oval-office-thrashing-of-zelenskyy-shows-limits-of-western-allies-ability-to-sway-us-leader-the-associated-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trumps-oval-office-thrashing-of-zelenskyy-shows-limits-of-western-allies-ability-to-sway-us-leader-the-associated-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump's Oval Office thrashing of Zelenskyy shows limits of Western allies' ability to sway US leader – The Associated Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump cut short talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine won\u2019t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive. Zelenskyy added Friday\u2019s contentious spat with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office was \u201cnot good for both sides.\u201d
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, center right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin\/Pool via AP)
Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. (Carl Court\/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)
President Donald Trump cut short talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine won\u2019t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive. Zelenskyy added Friday\u2019s contentious spat with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office was \u201cnot good for both sides.\u201d
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, center right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, center right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin\/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Ludovic Marin\/Pool via AP)
Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. (Carl Court\/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. (Carl Court\/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/ Mystyslav Chernov)
Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)
Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 All it took was 90 seconds for weeks of tortured diplomacy to unwind in spectacular fashion.
President Donald Trump\u2019s Oval Office thrashing of Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday laid bare the limits of a full-court press by America\u2019s allies aimed at reshaping Trump\u2019s determination to end<\/a><\/span> Russia\u2019s invasion even if the terms are not to Ukraine\u2019s liking.
It also stressed the profound ways Trump feels emboldened to redirect U.S. foreign policy priorities toward his \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda in ways that extend well beyond those of his tumultuous first term.
The sudden blowup was the most heated public exchange of words between world leaders in the Oval Office in memory, as the usual staid work of diplomacy descended into finger-pointing, shouting and eye-rolling.
The encounter left the future of the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and Kyiv\u2019s ability to defend itself in the brutal conflict with Russia, in mortal jeopardy.
\u201cYou either make a deal or we are out,\u201d Trump told Zelenskyy, underscoring the American leader\u2019s plans to dictate a swift end to the war or leave its longtime ally to continue the fight without its strongest backer.
Less than a day later, Zelenskyy used a series of posts on X to express his thanks to the American people, Trump and Congress for \u201call the support,\u201d which he said Ukrainians \u201chave always appreciated,\u201d especially during the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur relationship with the American President is more than just two leaders; it\u2019s a historic and solid bond between our peoples. That\u2019s why I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation,\u201d he added. Ukrainians want \u201conly strong relations with America, and I really hope we will have them,\u201d he said.
Zelenskyy was in London to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before a summit Sunday of European leaders.
The stunning episode in Washington had capped a week of what turned out to be largely futile efforts by U.S. allies to paper over differences between Washington and Kyiv and to try to steer Trump away from his flirtations with Moscow.<\/a><\/span>
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron huddled with Trump<\/a><\/span> to lay the groundwork for an eventual European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine aimed at deterring future Russian aggression and to encourage the U.S. president to be more skeptical of Vladimir Putin.
But even as Trump and Macron greeted each other with a vise-like grip, the U.S. was splitting with its European allies<\/a><\/span> at the United Nations by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in a series of resolutions marking the third anniversary of the war.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Washington<\/a><\/span> and appealed to Trump for a U.S. \u201cbackstop\u201d for European nations who would provide front-line security for Ukraine. He was in essence looking for insurance that, should a peace deal be reached, Russia won\u2019t restart the fighting in the future. Starmer brought flattery and a state visit invitation<\/a><\/span> from King Charles III to soften the ask.
The approach seemed to work, as Trump struck a more conciliatory tone toward Ukraine, calling America\u2019s support for the country against Russia\u2019s invasion \u201ca very worthy thing to do\u201d and disclaiming any memory that he had called the Ukrainian leader a \u201cdictator.\u201d
But Trump also brushed aside Putin\u2019s past broken diplomatic promises, claiming they occurred under different presidents, and saying the Russian leader had never violated a commitment to him. It came as his aides were planning a series of negotiating sessions with Russian officials to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Trump and Putin in the coming weeks.
All the while, Trump was focused on securing a financial stake<\/a><\/span> in Ukraine\u2019s critical minerals to recoup the tens of billions the U.S. has given to Kyiv to defend itself. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, wanted more than Washington\u2019s vague promises that the U.S. would work to preserve its economic interest in Ukraine under the agreement and pushed for more concrete security guarantees.
But Trump would not budge, and U.S. officials repeatedly said Zelenskyy would not be welcome to meet with the president to discuss Trump\u2019s push for negotiations with Russia until it was signed. After weeks of browbeating, Zelenskyy\u2019s government on Wednesday formally agreed<\/a><\/span> to the proposal, clearing the path for Friday\u2019s meeting.
It started off cordially enough, as Trump and Zelenskyy spoke politely, even with admiration, of one of another for the first half-hour of the meeting. Trump even suggested he would continue some military assistance to Ukraine until he could secure an enduring peace deal with Russia.
But when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Putin to end the fighting, Vice President JD Vance rebuked him for airing disagreements with Trump in public. It instantly shifted the tenor of the conversation. Zelenskyy grew defensive, and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful and \u201cdisrespectful\u201d and issued stark warnings about future American support.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a defense hawk and Trump ally, said he had warned Zelenskyy before the meeting \u201cnot to take the bait\u201d in his dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly shown a penchant for throwing criticism but a deep resistance to receiving it.
It was Vance \u2014 a longtime critic of American support for Ukraine<\/a><\/span> \u2014 who dangled it, when he insisted diplomacy was the only way forward.
\u201cWhat kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?\u201d Zelenskyy said, listing Russia\u2019s past violations of ceasefires. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m talking about the kind of diplomacy that\u2019s going to end the destruction of your country,\u201d Vance responded before tearing into the Ukrainian leader. \u201cMr. President, with respect, I think it\u2019s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.\u201d
Trump then let loose, warning the Ukrainian leader, \u201cYou\u2019re gambling with World War III, and what you\u2019re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that\u2019s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.\u201d
At another point, Trump declared himself \u201cin the middle,\u201d seeming to formally break from years of American support for Ukraine. He went on to deride Zelenskyy\u2019s \u201chatred\u201d for Putin as a roadblock to peace.
\u201cYou see the hatred he\u2019s got for Putin,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThat\u2019s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,\u201d Trump said to Zelenskyy as the two leaders talked over each other.
The episode was just the latest instance of Trump\u2019s brazen moves to shift long-held American policy positions in his first six weeks back in office, portending even more uncertainty ahead for longtime American allies and partners who have already felt pressed to justify their place in Trump\u2019s eyes. It comes just weeks after Trump floated a permanent relocation of Palestinians in Gaza and an American takeover of the territory, and as he has doubled down on plans to put stiff tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada starting next week.
After the Oval Office dustup, Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House by top Trump advisers \u2014 scrapping plans for a lunch, a joint press conference and the signing of the economic agreement, even as the Ukrainian leader and his aides pushed for a \u201creset\u201d on the meeting.
Trump later told reporters he didn\u2019t want to \u201cembolden\u201d the Ukrainian leader if he didn\u2019t want \u201cpeace\u201d with Russia \u2014 flipping what Ukraine had seen as an inducement for security guarantees into a cudgel.
\u201cYou can\u2019t embolden somebody who does not have the cards,\u201d Trump said.
After the disastrous encounter, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News on Friday evening and told Bret Baier that his public spat with Trump and Vance was \u201cnot good for both sides.\u201d But Zelenskyy said Trump \u2014 who insists Putin is ready to end the three-year grinding war \u2014 needs to understand that Ukraine can\u2019t change its attitudes toward Russia on a dime.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine won\u2019t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive.
\u201cEverybody (is) afraid Putin will come back tomorrow,\u201d Zelenskyy said. \u201cWe want just and lasting peace.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s so sensitive for our people,\u201d Zelenskyy said. \u201cAnd they just want to hear that America (is) on our side, that America will stay with us. Not with Russia, with us. That\u2019s it.\u201d
Zelenskyy acknowledged that without U.S. support, his country\u2019s position would grow \u201cdifficult.\u201d
After repeatedly declining opportunities to apologize to Trump, Zelensky closed his Fox appearance with a sheepish expression of remorse as he struggled with the reality of Trump\u2019s new direction in Washington: \u201cSorry for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.President Donald Trump cut short talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine won\u2019t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive. Zelenskyy added Friday\u2019s contentious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}