THE entire world became witness to the heated verbal argument inside the Oval Office of the Whitehouse during the official visit of Ukraine dictator, Volodymyr Zelensky, last February 28, purportedly to sign a mineral mining agreement with US President Donald Trump.
The meeting, broadcast live by the Whitehouse and the Western mainstream media, did not end well after Zelensky tried his best to forced Trump to condemn Russia for the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in February 2022.
Trump, however, would not be pushed into a corner saying doing so would not end well with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, and would destroy his credibility as a negotiator for a peace settlement between the two warring countries.
Settling the 3-years war is among the campaign promises of Trump, even boasting he could end it in “one day” after he assumes office.
Warnings of a bad ending
There have been many warnings that the meeting would end up in a “fiasco,” mainly due to Zelensky’s behavior.
US State Secretary Mark Rubio bared that during his talk with Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany early last month, Zelensky agreed to sign a mining agreement with the United States in compensation for past US defense and economic assistance under Pres. Joe Biden totaling more than $175 billion (but Trump said it was $350 billion) to help its fight against Russia.
The day after the meeting, Rubio said they were surprised to see Zelensky announcing he would not be signing the agreement unless the United States gave explicit security protection to Ukraine—which was not among the terms they earlier agreed on.
Zelensky also ignored the advisory from the Whitehouse prior to their arrival that he and his entourage should wear a suit for the meeting with Trump.
However, Zelensky still arrived wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt with no collar embossed with a Trident symbolizing Ukraine. This prompted a sarcastic remark from Trump saying, “he (Zelensky) is all dressed up” for their meeting.
Zelensky arriving improperly dressed was also questioned by a news reporter who asked if he has any suit and why he is not dressed properly inside the Oval Office. The question drew derisive laughter from the crowd, including Trump and the members of his Cabinet.
Zelensky finally got the ire of Trump and his Cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, when he told Vance “not to raise” his voice.
“No, he is not raising his voice,” Trump said, in defense of Vanc, before launching into a harangue that lasted for several minutes.
“You are playing with World War 3,” Trump told Zelensky at least three times. He noted that without American support Ukraine would not have lasted “two weeks” against Russia.
Even while Trump was speaking, Zelensky tried to wave him off with his hands, saying, “in 3 days, in 3 days, that’s what I heard from Putin, a reaction that nearly made Trump lose his patience.
Vance also expressed his irritation by noting that Zelensky is trying to “litigate” his case before the television cameras and that since his arrival, he did not even say ‘Thank You’ to the American government for all the help Ukraine received over the years.
“With respect, did you even say ‘Thank You,’ Mr. President,” Vance asked Zelensky
During the spat, Zelensky also claimed that Ukraine was “all alone” during the start of the conflict with Russia in 2022, a brazen lie that added to the agitation of Trump and Vance.
After terminating the meeting, Zelensky and his entire entourage were ordered out of the Whitehouse with their lunch with Trump and his Cabinet and the planned signing ceremony scratched.
Trump later told the media that Zelensky can only come back if he is ready to talk peace, which, for the moment is a very long way from happening.