Zelenskyy showed Trump photos of Ukrainian soldiers after being captured by Russia, which could have caused dispute - Time
During his visit to the White House in late February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought not only a gift - the belt of world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk - but also photos of Ukrainian soldiers who had been captured by Russia. He showed them to US President Donald Trump.
Time writes about this, citing unnamed American officials, Censor.NET reports.
Trump, having seen these photos, replied that "these are difficult things".
The publication emphasizes that it was after this moment that the meeting went "wrong."
"Some of their bodies (of the prisoners - ed.) were grotesquely exhausted. Others showed signs of torture," the media outlet said, adding that if Zelenskyy had offered Trump the championship belt first, the gesture might have eased the atmosphere of the meeting.
The photos had the opposite effect. They alarmed the US president as if he was being blamed for the suffering of these soldiers.
Today, however, Zelenskyy admits that he does not regret his decision to show these photos, explaining that he wanted to go beyond Trump's transactional instincts, beyond the American president's need for flattery, and address Trump as a human being.
"He has a family, friends, children. He should feel what every person feels," Zelenskyy explains. "What I wanted to show had its own values. But then the conversation went in a different direction."
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed Donald Trump a photo of Ukrainian prisoners of war during a meeting at the White House.
The dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy
On Friday, February 28, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at the White House.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy started arguing and switched to higher tones during the meeting in the Oval Office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves the White House early after meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
No agreement on minerals between Ukraine and the United States was signed in Washington.
After a dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump said that the latter was not ready for peace and "disrespected" him.
The international community and US officials reacted to the dispute between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States.
On March 4, it became known that the White House had suspended all military assistance to Ukraine.
On the evening of March 4, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is committed to peace and is ready to "work quickly" to end the war. He emphasized that Ukraine is ready to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a lasting peace.
