Russia

Big clash between Trump and Zelensky

- 11:02 pm
Zelensky, Trump and Vance at the White House (capture X)

Zelensky, Trump and Vance at the White House (capture X)

The Ukrainian president left the White House in a hurry after an unprecedented heated exchange with his American counterpart.

Despite a major diplomatic incident, Volodymyr Zelensky was keen to thank the United States on social networks on Friday, February 28. “Thank you America, thank you for the support, thank you for this visit. Thank you to the President, the Congress and the American people,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X, adding that ”Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace and we are working on that.”
This conciliatory message contrasts sharply with the scene that unfolded shortly before in the Oval Office, where a verbal confrontation erupted between the two leaders, leading to the Ukrainian president’s premature departure.

A diplomatic face-off that got out of hand

The meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky turned confrontational in a scene described as “as rare as it was spectacular”. The tone quickly escalated when the American president told his Ukrainian counterpart: “Make a deal or we’ll let you go”.
“You must be grateful,” a visibly angry Donald Trump told his guest. Faced with Zelensky’s resistance, the American president raised his voice: “People are dying! You don’t have the assets to behave like this, you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War III.”
Following the altercation, Trump accused Zelensky on Truth Social of “not being ready for peace” with Russia and of having “disrespected” the United States within the Oval Office itself, adding that he “can come back when he’s ready for peace.”

Humanitarian crisis worsens

Meanwhile, the situation of Ukrainian refugees continues to worsen. According to a study by the Centre for Economic Strategy published this Friday, nearly 5.2 million Ukrainians are currently refugees abroad, an increase of 300,000 since the beginning of 2024. Germany and Poland host around 37% of these displaced persons, the majority of whom are women (44%) and children (32%).

A half-hearted economic agreement

On the bangs of these tensions, an agreement establishing a joint investment fund in the metals, hydrocarbons and investment sectors was signed. However, this text does not meet the initial demands of the American president, who wanted to see a sum of 500 billion dollars included, which was ultimately omitted from the final version. Nor does the agreement provide the firm security guarantees that Ukraine had hoped to obtain.

A European summit in the UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called a European summit for Sunday, bringing together more than a dozen European leaders. The aim of the meeting is to “take forward” action on Ukraine and security. President Zelensky, after a telephone meeting scheduled for the morning with the Baltic states, is also expected at Downing Street.

 

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