After dispute with Zelenskyy, Trump watched in fury as Europe "embraced" him. Relations between them are still on brink - Politico
After an argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Donald Trump watched in fury as Europe "embraced" Zelenskyy.
This is stated in Politico's article "The Untold Story of How Trump Shocked Europe in a Few Days", Censor.NET reports with reference to Unian.
The publication reminds that the first visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House under Donald Trump ended in a public scandal. The Ukrainian leader traveled to the UK, while the US president watched in fury as Europe "embraced" Zelenskyy.
As noted, the news of Zelenskyy's visit to Trump was promising.
The day before, it became known that Ukraine and the United States had "agreed on the text" of the minerals agreement. There was hope that Volodymyr Zelenskyy would sign it in Washington.
Once on the road, Zelenskyy's team was enthusiastic, telling parliamentarians and journalists that this was a significant breakthrough.
A senior Ukrainian official in Brussels was giving an interview to Politico when he was interrupted by an important call. When he returned, he told the journalist that Zelenskyy was flying to Washington and then heading to London.
"This is a victory - he is meeting with Trump before Putin," he said.
It was expected that Zelenskyy would sign the agreement, include references to security guarantees, and then present it to European partners in London. However, it was the issue of guarantees that became controversial. After nearly 40 minutes of calm conversation in the Oval Office with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, Zelenskyy's position led to a tense scene.
"On a very human level, it shows that nothing is sacred," said a senior diplomat in Paris, commenting on the Trump- Zelenskyy spat.
On Friday evening, as news of the White House scandal spread across Europe, British officials back home began receiving disturbing messages. One of them said: "There was a lot of WhatsApp traffic. Everyone was just about to relax and then - f**k it, this is really bad."
Macron, who was in Portugal at the time, learned about the scandal during a TV interview. After the broadcast ended, he immediately watched the news, boarded a plane to Paris, and called Zelenskyy on the plane.
German politician Friedrich Merz also reacted instantly - he was sent footage of the events on his way back to Sauerland. He immediately made several calls and published a post supporting Zelenskyy.
Three days later, Merz informed the CDU leadership of major changes: easing the debt ceiling and creating a €500 billion fund for defence and economic stimulus.
David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, returned from Washington satisfied with the results of his talks with Marco Rubio. However, news from the Oval Office quickly overshadowed the day.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer avoided public comment, but within hours of the scandal, he called both Trump and Zelenskyy.
The next day, Zelenskyy arrived in London, where he was met by Starmer on the doorstep of Downing Street. The Prime Minister warmly embraced the Ukrainian leader.
Starmer used the London Summit to rally European countries around an initiative for a peace plan that he and Macron were to present to Trump.
Zelenskyy left the summit to meet with King Charles III, a gesture of great political significance. Everyone knows that Trump is very fond of the British royal family, but their summit is still being prepared. "People definitely saw that," said an American official.
Trump is said to have been furious: not only because of the royal visit but also because of Europe's "big hug" to Zelenskyy. Trump himself thought the demonstration of this support was inappropriate.
On Sunday evening, the Ukrainian president gave a 72-minute interview at London's Stansted Airport. In it, he said that a peace deal was still "very, very far away". This speech, according to some officials, was the last straw - a day later, Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine.
Several weeks have passed, but diplomats from Paris, London, and Berlin are still trying to mend relations between Trump and Zelensky.
While Starmer was coordinating efforts with the two leaders, French diplomats were preparing a letter of reconciliation from Zelensky to Trump.
"The relationship between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart is still on the brink," the newspaper writes.
Despite the agreed 30-day ceasefire, its implementation was questionable.
Ukraine disappeared from the headlines as Trump's attention was diverted by his new "obsession" - tariffs. However, the conflict that erupted in February left deep wounds.
The Trump-Zelensky dispute
As a reminder, US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, 28 February.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy started arguing and switched to higher tones during their 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 US was signed in Washington.
US President Donald Trump, following a dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the White House, said that the latter was not ready for peace and had "shown disrespect".
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 aid to Ukraine.
On the evening of 4 March, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is committed to peace and is ready to "work quickly" to end the war. He stressed that Ukraine is ready to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a lasting peace.
