On Friday, the Ukrainian leader left the White home empty-handed, and American-Ukrainian relations are shattered. — to the delight of MAGA loyalists, specified as erstwhile strategical advisor Steve Bannon, who told POLITICO that it was a “perfect score, and now we can wash our hands from it”. The Ukrainians, however, were horrified by this spectacle and stay profoundly upset by what they see as Trump and Vance's deficiency of knowing that Ukraine is an injured organization who suffered enormously at the hands of rematched Russia, abolishing documented war crimes.
According to the advice of American friends and advisors, as well as his powerful chief of staff Andrij Jermak, Zelenski has tried to avoid antagonizing delicate president Donald Trump since his re-election. The Council sounded "co-operate" and given the bad blood between Trump and Zelenski dating back to 2019 — erstwhile the Ukrainian leader refused to agree to Trump's request for an investigation into the boy of the erstwhile US president Joe Biden — following it was crucial.
The quarrel in the Oval Office: Vance's hidden destination and Zelenski's wine
By Friday, the strategy was clear: the Ukrainian leader was to be seen as constructive, leaving Russian president Vladimir Putin to annoy Trump by being resistant and the first to say "non‘. It was hard to hold on to it — although no 1 could foretell how spectacularly everything would fall apart. The question is, can you undo the damage?
Here, in Kiev, for a surreal and tumultuous brawl in the Oval Office, Vance is mostly blamed — a longtime critic of U.S. engagement in Ukraine. He is accused of intentionally provoking Zelenski, most likely in order to torpedo an agreement that would let the US to have more access to Ukrainian minerals.
A Republican abroad policy expert who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity sees it the same way: Vance wanted to kill the mineral deal, stating that “it would strengthen the proukrain lobby in the administration. Zelenski simply took the bait.”
However, the Republican expert besides noted that Ukrainian leader is liable for not focusing solely on the agreement. "Zelenski was incapable to realize the importance of the mineral agreement before Friday... It's crucial not due to minerals — It's about getting Trump political victory.“ He said.
Zelenski is not to apologize
Since then, White home officials have publically claimed that there was no plan to ambush Zelenski or derail the mineral contract. On the contrary. They claim that both Trump and Vance were frustrated that Zelenski questioned the point of negotiations with Putin and believed that he was trying to disrupt the US-Russia talks, as stressed by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Sunday interview.
Following this incidental efforts are being made to correct any harm and get Zelenski and Trump to make a telephone call to effort to save relations. European leaders besides insist and effort to arrange a telephone call between the couple, during which the Ukrainian president would express regret about the gathering — but he did not apologize.
"A journey to Washington, the first Mr. Zelenski since president Trump's oath, was to be a hard mission from the beginning," wrote Jonathan Eyal of Chatham House. But there were inactive hopes that everything would go well, and prospects improved after earlier French travel Emmanuel Macron and British Keira Starmer. They surely managed to pave the way.
"Diplomats assumed that the American host would be little delicate erstwhile president Zelenski went on the same journey to Washington," Eyal said. Trump told journalists that he did not remember to mention to Zelenski as a "dictator", which was another affirmative signal.
Crash course
However, there were inactive fears before Zelenski landed in Washington: First, continuous rainfall after the Zelenski gathering with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the beginning of February seemed to annoy Trump, who publically complained that Zelenski had ignored Bessent, instructing him about the pointlessness of negotiations with Putin. Furthermore, the political supporters of the MAGA rise a fuss about the continued engagement of the US in Ukraine and want to halt all aid completely.
Speaking to a group of Republican and Democratic legislators in Washington before gathering Trump and Vance, Ukrainian leader made it clear that he would press Trump to agree to safety guarantees for postwar Ukraine, but was warned by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, inter alia, to proceed with caution and avoid focusing on misunderstandings. In short, “let Trump win”.
Andrij Jermak besides called on Zelenski to focus heavy on the mineral agreement — safety guarantees may happen later. But annoyed by Vance, Zelenski strayed from the course, which led to what Ukrainian opposition legislature Oleksiy Goncharenko described in 1 simple word: “catastrophe”.
Following developments from afar, Russian opposition leader Mikhail Chodorkowski — who knows something about sitting other a strong ruler — was besides terrified.
“Politico said.
“President Zelensk failed. He spoke publically about justice and Europe, ignoring how Trump's electorate perceives the situation. I hope the American president has the wisdom and ability to respond to events with clarity and pragmatism," he added.
JIM LO SCALZO / PAPU.S. president Donald Trump leaves the White home after talking to the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski in Washington, DC, USA, 28 February 2025.
“Trump feels Zelenski is not in good intellectual condition”
Despite the uncertainty, Ukrainian leader, however, enjoys broad support in the country. Even legislators who have been very critical of his leadership are publically gathering around him — although privately any say he has not adapted his language to the fresh U.S. administration. However, everyone sees him as a faithful reflection of Ukrainian public opinion, with a passion for a brutally attacked nation and expressing concern felt throughout the country about the anticipation of a ceasefire that leaves them susceptible to repeated acts of Russian aggression.
“It truly was the beating of 1 man by a leader of a much larger country — a country that was supposedly a friend. It was intimidation," said opposition MP Lesia Vasilenko. "Zelenski came out rather strong".
Mr Mikołaj Kniażycki lamented the incident. “The gathering of Zelenski with Trump should not have failed. We are committed to working with America and we hope that the emotions will drop, which will let the dialog to return to a constructive course. Ukrainians, more than anyone, want peace. We are ready to negotiate, but they must leave the position of force, not surrender," POLITICO said.
The main question is whether the harm is irreversible. any on the Ukrainian side attach their hopes to Trump's later reaction, which went to his hotel in Florida. He didn't have foam on his mouth. any people in the administration have brought this to my attention. Trump seems to feel that Zelenski is not in a good intellectual state due to the stress of the last 3 years," said the Republican abroad Policy Expert POLITICO.
— However, I can say that without an agreement on minerals, there is no way Trump would go to legislature and ask for more money for Ukraine. That's what this was all about. Without this, the probability is zero," he added.
