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Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “playing with the Second World War” while the American president shortened the meeting for a long time from the Ukrainian leader to the White House and told him to return “when he is ready for peace”.
Friday, in a joint appearance before the television cameras, the two leaders clashed before the start of their official meeting, while the Ukrainian president’s attempt to improve the tense ties with Washington turned with spectacularly.
By raising the voice to Zelenskyy, who had made his need several times for the American security guarantees, Trump said: “You do not have the cards at the moment. With us, you are starting to have problems right now. . . You play with the lives of millions of people. You play with the Second World War.
The American president, who was unleashed to his Ukrainian counterpart several times in recent weeks, has issued an ultimatum to Zelenskyy, saying that he “would conclude an agreement [on the war]Or we came out ”.
A few minutes later in a press release announcing the ventilation of talks, Trump wrote: “President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he thinks that our involvement gives him a great advantage in the negotiations.”
He added: “I don’t want more, I want peace. It was missing in the United States of America in his Oval Office darling. He can come back when he is ready for peace. »»
The burning dispute shocked the Ukrainians who expected to look at the signing of a mineral agreement that Zelenskyy had hoped would help to bring Trump’s administration closer to provide the guarantees that Kyiv wants.
A person with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office told Financial Times that the meeting had ended without the agreement being signed.
While the cameras were rolling, the Ukraine ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova was seen, closing his eyes, dropping the head and grabbing the bridge of his nose while the argument degenerates.
Zelenskyy said previous discussions with President Vladimir Putin, starting after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, did not prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again.
“He broke the ceasefire, he killed our people,” said Zelenskyy. “What kind of diplomacy do you ask?” He said, in response to the comments of vice-president JD Vance that the United States tried diplomacy.
“From the start of the war, we were alone,” added Zelenskyy.
He was scolded by Vance, who asked, “Do you think he is respectful of coming to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attacking the administration which tries to prevent the destruction of your country?”
The Ukrainian chief replied: “During the war, everyone has problems, even you, but you have [a] beautiful ocean and do not feel [it] Now, but you will feel it in the future. Trump replied that Zelenskyy was “unable to dictate what we are going to feel.”
Trump and Vance have pressed Zelenskyy to thank the United States. “You don’t win. You don’t win this. You have a good chance of going out well, because of us, “said Trump.
Zelenskyy had sought a siege at the negotiating table after Trump has blinded kyiv and other European capitals by launching direct talks with Putin at the end of the conflict.
Managers had also been about to sign a mineral agreement to set up an American-joint “investment fund” receiving half of all income from the “future monetization” of natural resources belonging to Kyiv.
Before Friday’s confrontation, Trump described the agreement as “very fair”.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States followed the calls from the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to put Trump to provide a “cutting-edge net” in the United States to European peacekeepers in Ukraine after the end of the fighting.
The fight with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office caps an extraordinary week in which the United States reassured themselves with Russia, China and countries like North Korea and the Bélarus to the UN against historical allies such as the United Kingdom and France.
Trump also refused to promise American troops as Hope for Starmer and Zelenskyy.
