Trump is a businessman who doesn’t like to bet on a losing horse. He is convinced that in spite of all the money and weapons Ukraine is anyways going to lose the war against Russia, hence does not want to lose his money by betting on the wrong horse.
The treatment meted out to poor Zelenskyy and his team was almost unprecedented in the history of diplomatic conduct. The meeting, their first since Trump returned to power in January, blew up into a verbal duel on live TV with Vance and Trump shouting at Zelenskyy and generally speaking as if he was an errant (and ungrateful) kid who needed some schooling by the school bosses. The Ukrainian delegation was then asked to leave the White House without the formal lunch with the president. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Ukrainian delegation was even asked to pay for the formal arrival and stay in the US as the official state guests of the Trump government. This is unheard of and happened for the first time when the US administration (read Trump/Musk/Vance) refused to pay the expenses of a foreign delegation visiting their country in a brazen violation of centuries-old diplomatic traditions.
How did Trump and Vance insult Zelensky
Diplomats of yore, nay even American leaders of yore, would have been appalled at the language used by them in berating Zelenskyy. Vance, who is no less a fool than Trump, was indulging in meaningless rhetoric as if he were writing an answer to some question in the Civil Services Examination of India. “The path to peace and the path to prosperity is, maybe, engaging in diplomacy.” To this, Zelenskyy explained that until 2022 they had a lot of conversations with Putin. “And we signed a deal with him. Macron and Merkel signed a ceasefire. All of them told me that he would never go…But after that, he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about? What do you mean?”
Vance exploded at that, “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media…You should be thanking the president.”
Zelensky said that everybody had problems during the war, even the US. Trump then raised his voice and said, “You right now are not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” He added, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country”.
Vance then asked Zelenskyy if he had said ‘thank you even once’. “A lot of times,” Zelenskyy answered. “No, in this meeting, this entire meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance said.
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“He’s not speaking loud. Your country is in big trouble. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble,” Trump said. Trump also told Zelenskyy that if Ukraine didn’t have the US’s military equipment, the war would have been over in two weeks. “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump said, abruptly ending the meeting. Not to be left behind, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called for Zelenskyy to apologize for the clash with Trump. Zelenskyy, however, refused to apologize for his row with Donald Trump. “I’m not sure that we did something bad,” he told Fox News.
How Trump’s behaviour embarrass even Americans
It only confirms my view, articulated in an earlier article that Trump is a duffer who is not fit to hold that august office. There was a flurry of angry reactions on the social media to the effect that they were ashamed of being Americans. People called the meeting an “embarrassment for the United States” and labelled Trump and Vice President JD Vance as “bullies” for “mocking” Zelenskyy. Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett said, “They want Zelenskyy to apologize and kiss their feet. This shit makes me sick.” “This is utterly repulsive!” remarked Political commentator Brian Krassenstein. “Trump and Vance just tried to humiliate Zelenskyy live on American TV, smugly demanding gratitude while openly mocking him like playground bullies counting favours,” he said. “Watching Trump and Vance gang up and bully Zelensky, I have never been so disgusted and ashamed to be an American in my life,” Singer-songwriter Bill Madden said. “Trump is a thug, putting his hands on Zelensky and screaming at him in the Oval Office. What a f**king disgrace,” added another.
Also Read: Profiting from war: how both Russia and America are gaining from Ukraine war
How the West inflated the persona of Zelenskyy
You might be aware how the paid media of the West had been praising Zelenskyy to the skies as long as he danced to their tunes. A comedian became an icon, a global symbol of democracy and freedom almost overnight and many compared him to Winston Churchill himself. The created the image of a Soldiers’ General for him who, wearing battle fatigues and the trademark full-sleeved T-shirt was slugging it out with his men in the front. Poor fellow became a victim of his own rhetoric. When he addressed the EU Parliament on video conference, the English interpreter literally cried at his words. When he addressed the US Congress in English, he quoted Franklin Roosevelt, drawing huge rounds of applause.
How Trump has been lying through his teeth
Trump’s claims—doubting Zelenskyy’s integrity or inflating aid figures—lack evidence. No audits (e.g., from the U.S. Inspector General or EU bodies) show significant misappropriation. According to the BBC and the Kiel Institute, the total aid figures so far are as follows:
USA: $119.7 billion committed directly to Ukraine. Total war-related appropriations: $175 billion.
EU: $145 billion total from EU and member states.
The $500 billion figure touted by the liar Trump is wildly off; even total global aid doesn’t hit that. It’s simply very cheap, very disgusting political noise, not fact. The simple fact is that allies who cheered Ukraine’s fight now grumble when it stumbles, despite Ukraine bearing the human cost in terms of the terrible casualties and widespread destruction.
Also Read: Putin’s Gamble: A Strategic Analysis of the Ukraine War
How Zelenskyy was fooled and betrayed
Now let us see under what conditions and agreements this money was paid? The key formal agreements are the U.S.-Ukraine Bilateral Security Agreement signed on June 13, 2024, and the Joint Security Commitments between the EU and Ukraine, signed on June 27, 2024. Ukraine agreed to use the aid to fight Russia, aligning with Western goals of countering aggression and defending democracy. The U.S. and EU supply weapons, funds, and training; Ukraine supplies the manpower and takes the casualties. Both U.S. and EU agreements explicitly uphold Ukraine’s right to self-determination. The G7 Joint Declaration of Support (July 2023) and subsequent bilateral deals with over 20 countries reinforce this, framing aid as a bridge to NATO and EU integration, not a leash to control Ukraine’s destiny.
Also Read: Nuclear weapons: Putin has a point
Ukraine never signed anything promising to “abide by the advice or order of the donors” on Ukraine’s fate, win or lose. Zelenskyy’s public stance has been consistent. He’s begged for aid to fight, not to cede control. His “Peace Formula” (presented in 2022) demands Russian withdrawal, territorial restoration, and accountability—hardly a sign of surrendering sovereignty. No leaked documents or credible reports suggest he secretly agreed to let donors dictate peace terms.
Had Ukraine been winning, the West would have continued to hail Zelenskyy as the ultimate champion of freedom and democracy who could humble the Mighty Russia also with Western support. Now that he is losing, he is being insulted and pushed into a corner for not being an obedient servant of USA.
How the war has been going for Ukraine?
According to BBC’s ‘Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia’, “in eastern Ukraine, Moscow’s war machine has been churning mile by mile through the wide open fields of the Donbas, enveloping and overwhelming villages and towns. Presently, they hold about 20% of the territory of Ukraine. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, in the Donetsk region, Russian forces advanced near Kurakhove, Vozdvyzhenka, and Chasiv Yar, occupying a settlement south of Pokrovsk and two settlements west of Kurakhove. Russian forces also took control of two settlements in the Lyman direction, one in the Donetsk region and another in neighbouring Luhansk.
Zelenskyy has now suggested that Russian-held territory in Ukraine could be swapped for territory seized by Ukraine in Russia’s western Kursk region in recent months as part of a peace deal. Some of that territory has been regained by Russia but Ukraine still has troops in the Kursk region. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Zelenskyy’s suggestion of a territory swap as impossible.
Can Zelenskyy be forced to accept a bad peace?
Yes, it indeed looks so. Ukraine’s military and economy rely heavily on Western support. If the U.S. or EU threaten to pull the plug—if Trump follows through on his “end it fast” rhetoric—Zelenskyy’s options narrow. Though there’s no legal or written mechanism in the aid agreements giving donors veto power over peace talks, pressure would be informal—diplomatic arm-twisting, not contractual obligation. Zelenskyy has rejected deals ceding territory (e.g., Minsk-style proposals) and insists on Ukraine’s terms. Losing the war might force compromise, but that’s battlefield reality, not a signed promise.
The aid came with strings—fight Russia, enact reforms—but not with a clause surrendering sovereignty or peace terms. Zelenskyy’s in a tough spot because the war’s not going as hoped, not because he sold out. The West’s praise-to-blame pivot reflects their own frustration, not some hidden deal. If he’s cornered into a peace he hates, it’ll be due to raw power dynamics, not a signature on a dotted line. That’s the brutal truth of it.
The ground reality
Zelenskyy is a fool alright. He is incompetent alright. In a series of articles on the Russia-Ukraine War, I have consistently maintained that Putin’s stand on the War has socio-political-historical merit and that in purely military terms; Mighty Mother Russia will win the War. However, that said, Zelenskyy is not a traitor to his country.
The simple funda of international politics and diplomacy is that when agreements are signed, it is between two governments, not two leaders. Ukraine signed agreement with USA and it was US taxpayers’ money that was given to Ukraine. Trump has no business blaming Biden or Zelenskyy for that. First, the West pumped in billions in arms to make the duffer fight a mighty foe like Putin. Now the poor fool wants to continue fighting and asks for more help. Then they tell him to make peace on their terms. This is not only unfair but outrageous. They are treating Ukraine like a vassal state.
It is obvious that thetreatment meted out to Zelenskyy hinges on the war’s outcome. When Ukraine was winning—e.g., retaking of Kharkiv and Kherson in 2022—he was lionized as a democratic hero; the ultimate defender of freedom against the onslaught of a dictator maniac; Time Magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year, standing ovations in Congress, and the works. Now, with Russian gains in Donbas and aid fatigue setting in, the tone has shifted. Trump’s $500 billion aid exaggeration and hinting that Zelenskyy might’ve siphoned funds actually reflects nothing but a stark realization that if Ukraine can’t win, maybe it’s time to cut losses, force a deal, and get the hell out of that quagmire.
The Washington Post has reported that the US fears losses from the implementation of the once-believed-to-be-lucrative fossil deal with Ukraine as American experts have noted that the US Geological Survey does not record any significant reserves of rare earth elements on the territory of Ukraine. Moreover, more than 70 per cent of the explored deposits are located in Donbass and Novorossiya. This is another reason of Trump going cold towards Ukraine.
