The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced after a tense conversation in the Oval Office with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he would not negotiate with him and criticized him for having "disrespected" his country. The meeting started cordially but became tense when Vice President J.D. intervened, telling Zelensky that he could return to the United States when he was "ready for peace."
In a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump indicated that Zelensky was not prepared for peace, accusing him of believing that U.S. involvement granted him advantages in negotiations and warning him that it would be difficult to reach an agreement if attitudes did not change. Tensions increased when Trump accused Zelensky of "playing" with the possibility of a Third World War.
During the meeting, which lasted approximately 50 minutes, Trump emphasized that the emotional involvement had revealed aspects that otherwise would not have come to light. Subsequently, the U.S. president mentioned that the situation became harsher and that Zelensky had disrespected him in the Oval Office.
It was expected that both leaders would sign an agreement whereby Ukraine would share 50% of the revenue from its natural resource exploitation as part of a possible peace pact with Russia. However, after the meeting in the Oval Office, the scheduled joint lunch and press conference were canceled.
Zelensky left the White House without making statements to the media, and it is unknown whether the negotiated agreement will remain in effect. In addition, it has not been confirmed whether the scheduled appearance of the Ukrainian president at a forum in Washington will take place. The tense situation between the two leaders puts the continuity of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine in doubt.
