The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has expressed his disappointment with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that he doesn’t seem interested in achieving peace, but rather in criticizing the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. This comes after a tense meeting between the two leaders at the White House, where Zelenskyy was seeking to finalize a crucial agreement on Ukrainian rare earths. The pact would have guaranteed continued American assistance against the Russian invasion in exchange for access to these resources.
Everything unfolded after Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House, which was intended to culminate negotiations for this critical agreement. However, the meeting took an unexpected turn, with Zelenskyy leaving the presidential residence alone, without making any statements, and without signing the agreement. This occurred after a heated discussion with Trump, almost in raised voices, before the gathered media in the Oval Office.
Despite the apparent tension, the White House is attempting to deflect blame from Trump and instead point fingers at Zelenskyy for the contrast. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has come forward, stating that Zelenskyy should apologize for his public outburst with Trump, describing the incident as a “fiasco.” In an interview with CNN, Rubio urged the Ukrainian president to “apologize for turning this into the fiasco that it became for him.” Furthermore, Rubio expressed concerns that Zelenskyy’s aggressive tone may indicate a lack of genuine interest in a peace agreement, saying, “when you start talking so aggressively, you won’t get people to feel at the table… and then you begin to perceive that perhaps Zelensky does not want a peace agreement.”