Trump – the unwanted, self-appointed dealmaker had no business to humiliate Zelenskyy

On February 28, 2025, a meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned ugly. It led to an unprecedented heated war of words between the leaders of the two independent nations in the Oval Office at the White House.

The meeting particularly turned volatile when Donald Trump the 47th president of the United States backed out of the commitment made by his predecessor Joe Biden to help Ukraine win the war against Russia and went on to blame Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, branding him as “a dictator without elections.”

It was one of the rarest moments in contemporary history that reminded us that there are no permanent friends in diplomacy and promises made by one elected government can be turned down by the next. Technically it was not a personal deal to distribute property between two individuals but a policy decision by the government of one country to support another country- depending on it for physical, emotional and moral support – using the taxpayer’s money – not an individual’s fortunes which can be redirected as per anyone’s whim and fancy.

The United States has given the Ukrainians more than $180 billion in assistance, including more than $66.5 billion in military aid since Russia launched an all-out war on Feb. 24, 2022.

As of date, Washington provides about 20% of Ukraine’s military supplies, including the most lethal long-range missiles and Patriot air defence systems that can shoot down the most powerful Russian projectiles.

Trump brushed aside the promises made by the previous Biden administration by saying they were different Presidents and Putin has never violated a commitment to him (Trump).

It seems like only yesterday when Biden had promised to supply the most advanced military equipment to Ukraine including Javelin anti-tank missiles, Patriot air defence missile systems, drones, artillery and armoured vehicles, fighter jets, as well as M1 Abrams and Leopard tanks. The U.S. also promised to train Ukrainian troops to use advanced weapon systems to improve their military capabilities and share crucial intelligence to target the Russian forces more effectively. More importantly, Biden promised to support Ukraine in the post-war recovery and help rebuild infrastructure, industry, and institutions damaged in the conflict.

Trump’s sudden affinity towards Putin belies reasoning and logic. Significantly on his first day in office as the 47th President of the USA Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Putin to stop the ‘ridiculous war’ in Ukraine or face new – even harsher taxes, tariffs and sanctions. In a message on Truth Social – his social media account, Trump wrote that he was doing Russia and its president a “very big favour” by pushing him to settle the war.

“I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big favour,” Trump wrote maintaining that it was the right time for the Russian leader to come to the negotiating table.

“Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL,” he concluded.

“I think he’s (Putin) destroying Russia by not making a deal,” Trump said radiating confidence that he could negotiate a settlement to Russia’s full-scale invasion (launched in February 2022) in a single day.

“I think Russia is going to be in big trouble,” Trump warned Russia, which according to US intelligence reports interfered in the 2016 election. But even so, Trump reportedly holds a grudge against Ukraine which he believes interfered in the 2016 vote —a claim firmly dismissed by US intelligence.

Significantly a few years down the line when Russia vowed to shoot down all US missiles fired at Syria, Trump tweeted, “Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

The immediate provocation behind Trump’s change of heart is not clear, but it is a fact that Trump failed to condemn Putin and maintains that he finds it “easier” to deal with Russia than Ukraine, as he trusts Vladimir Putin. “I believe him,” he said in a televised press conference at the White House. 

The US is “doing very well with Russia”, and “it may be easier dealing with” Moscow than Kyiv, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. And you know, he wants to end the war,” he said.

“I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be, and that’s pretty good. That means a lot of good things, ” he added.

As far as Trump’s hatred towards Ukraine is concerned, it is a well-known fact that he faced impeachment proceedings in the 2019 “Ukraine scandal” in which he was accused of abuse of power and obstructing the Congress. It is alleged that Trump tried to pressurise Zelenskyy as President of Ukraine to launch an investigation against his arch-rival Joe Biden whom he calls Sleepy Joe or Slow Joe and his son, Hunter Biden. To make Zelenskyy toe his line Trump reportedly made a phone call on July 25, 2019, and told Zelenskyy that he was going to withhold military aid worth about $400 million till Ukraine started the investigation. This call was leaked to the public leading to allegations that Trump was misusing his official position and using the aid as a bargaining chip to blame Bidens for alleged nefarious activities in Ukraine, especially Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma.

The Ukraine scandal played a significant role in his impeachment process in the U.S. House of Representatives and was a central topic during Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. In December 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump was also accused of trying to solicit foreign interference in the U.S. election by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival. Accordingly, Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives but later acquitted by the Senate in February 2020.

“You either make a deal or we are out,” Donald Trump calls himself a deal-making genius and wrote a book called The Art of the Deal (1987) told Zelenskyy that he had no option but to stop the war or fight without the support from America which has so far been one of his strongest supporters.

Eventually, a visibly shocked Zelenskyy was told to leave the West Wing of the White House at 1:42 p.m. – without taking the lunch prepared for them — two hours and 20 minutes after he arrived.

An immediate fallout of the incident was that the U.S. stopped sharing intelligence reports with Ukraine, cutting off the flow of vital information that has helped war-torn Ukraine target Russian troops.

To execute the Presidential orders, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which reports to the US Department of Defence suspended Ukraine’s accounts in the Global Enhanced GEOINT Deliver (GEGD) program, which provides high-quality satellite imagery collected by the US government to various governments. This high-quality imagery collected by US satellites allows armies to gather intelligence on their rivals.

The precision-guided equipment supplied by the USA including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rely on the real-time intelligence inputs to target specific enemy positions, such as artillery units, logistics hubs, and command centres. Without the intelligence support, these weapons are practically blind and useless.

To control the damage Trump and Vance quickly took to Truth Social to accuse Zelenskiy of disrespecting the United States. The incident sparked a major controversy in the media with many international leaders supporting Zelenskyy and criticising Trump – the unwanted and self-appointed peacemaker for his high-handed behaviour. Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers and White House officials started a PR campaign collecting testimonials defending Trump’s actions because he was “standing up” for America.

The meeting started cordially with Trump and Zelenskyy speaking politely to each other during the first 30 minutes. Trump even offered to provide some military assistance to Ukraine till he could broker a lasting peace deal with Russia.

Apparently before going to the White House, Zelenskyy was subtly advised by Team Trump to wear a formal suit instead of his usual military-style clothing. Trump ignored the advise  and opted to wear an all-black outfit emblazoned with the Ukrainian trident, and combat boots symbolising his solidarity with the armed forces fighting on the frontline. This offended Trump and made the meeting go off on a tangent.

The tension began when Brian Glenn a Trump flunkey and the chief White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice website asked Zelenskyy why he wasn’t wearing a suit and accused him of having a lack of respect for America. Curiously as per the new White House policy only select journalists close to the ruling dispensation are allowed to be present during press conferences. Brian was not on the approved list of journalists but managed to gate-crash the press conference without a formal invite or approval.

“I will wear a costume when this war is finished,” Zelenskyy replied adding that he would wear one after the war was over.

“Maybe (I will wear) something like yours. Maybe something better. Maybe something cheaper,” he said.

Interestingly the word “kostium” in Ukrainian language pronounced as “costume” – means “suit”.

Glenn later issued a statement saying that: “President Zelenskyy has always dressed respectfully when meeting other world leaders.”

“For him, once again, to enter the highest office in the most powerful nation in the world, dressed as he did, reflects his inner disrespect for not only our country, the president and the US citizens that have made it possible for Ukraine to survive as long as they have to this point,” he said.

He wrote: “Moments after my exchange with President Zelenskyy, we began to hear a slightly different tone/mood from him when engaging with President Trump and VP JD Vance as his attire in-fact did begin to reflect his overall attitude towards the negotiations.

“So yes, you can judge a book by its cover. With that said, I pray for an ending to this war and peace in that region.”

Moments later Trump too joined in saying that he “liked his clothing”. At one point, about 20 minutes before the tone of the news conference changed, he said “I do like your clothing by the way” and added, “I think he’s dressed beautifully.”

But by then the public perception had been changed and the damage was already done. This made someone say “Zelenskyy has so much disrespect for America that he can’t even wear a suit in the Oval Office when he comes to beg for money from our President!!”

However, the conversation took a U-turn when Vice President JD Vance – a long-time critic of American support for Ukraine – tried to answer a question regarding Trump’s relationship with Putin and told Zelenskyy that the path to peace and prosperity was through diplomacy. Zelenskyy responded by saying that Putin was the one who started the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 but both Trump and Vance were in no mood to listen.

At this juncture, when Zalenskyy raised an issue about trusting any promise made by Putin to stop the war, Vance rebuked him for criticizing Trump in public which shifted the mood of the conversation.

The Confrontation

At this point, the conversation turned into a heated argument with both Trump and Vance repeatedly taking turns to rebuke Zelenskyy. Trump claimed that Russia respected him and that Putin had “gone through a hell of a lot” with him. He also accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III” and told him that he was “not in a good position” and didn’t “have the cards right now”.

Zelenskyy responded by saying that he wanted a ceasefire, but needed a guarantee that Russia would stand by its words. He also refused to apologize to Trump, saying that he was “very serious” and “not playing cards”.

Also Read: Why did Trump insult Zelenskyy and want peace now?

The Aftermath

The meeting ended without a firm resolution, and Zelenskyy left earlier than expected without addressing the joint press conference and signing the minerals agreement which was to follow. Trump later claimed that Zelenskyy was “not ready for peace”.

Trump also clarified that he doesn’t consider it essential for Zalenskyy to be present during the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals.”

The Trump-Vance-Zelenskyy shouting match seems to have all the drama for a reality TV thriller and is yet another reminder that international diplomacy should never be carried out in front of billions of TV viewers.