Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Mar 2: The once-solid wartime alliance between the US and Ukraine dramatically unraveled after a fiery Oval Office showdown between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky, once hailed as a Churchillian figure in Washington, was shouted at by Trump and vice president JD Vance before being ejected from the White House without lunch and without signing a crucial US-Ukraine minerals deal, seen as key to American backing for a truce with Russia.
The Ukrainian leader publicly contradicted Trump on the war and refused to back down, triggering the president’s fury. "He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office," Trump later fumed on social media.
Trump’s return to power has marked a sharp shift in US foreign policy, with Ukraine now treated more as a client than an ally, while Russia finds itself in a more favourable light. The policy reversal has alarmed European leaders, with French President Emmanuel Macron and British PM Keir Starmer rushing to Washington to engage Trump diplomatically.
Unlike Zelensky, Macron and Starmer navigated Trump’s unpredictable nature carefully. Macron’s charm offensive handshakes, knee touches, and back-slapping helped ease tensions even as he corrected Trump’s claim that Europe was contributing less than the US to Ukraine. Starmer, meanwhile, softened Trump’s mood with a royal invitation from King Charles III.
For Zelensky, the stakes were higher. He directly challenged Trump’s narrative on Russia, provoking an intense exchange with Vance, who labeled him "disrespectful." Trump’s loyalists immediately slammed Zelensky, branding him "arrogant" and "ungrateful."
Fox News analysts suggested Zelensky should have been more strategic, with some saying he should have simply repeated, "Thank you, President." Others, like CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, believed even that wouldn’t have saved him, as Trump’s agenda was already set.
With the fallout from this clash, Ukraine now faces an uncertain future as Trump pushes for a settlement that, critics say, would hand victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin.