Plus, Jim Crow laws (apartheid) were essentially used to ensure a readily available source of cheap labor for white people by systematically limiting the rights and opportunities of African Americans, effectively forcing them into low-paying jobs with few options due to segregation and legal restrictions on their movement and employment choices.
We are witnessing the end of Pax Americana, the world order that lasted 80 years since World War II. The New World order sees a new Axis of Evil dividing the world into three major spheres of influence: those of the United States, Russia, and China. Trump and Putin are crafting a major deal at this moment.
Domestically as compensation for the demolition of federal public services sinks in, middle and working class American’s can look forward to a couple years of tax cuts.
None of that has anything to do with my original comment. Are you always this clueless? I suspect so.
1 Like
I doubt Trump can even find his little winkie - let alone pull it off
LOL.
PAX???
Here’s a list of USA conflicts since 1945
Greek Civil War (1946–1949), Korean War (1950–1953), First Indochina War (1950–1954), Vietnam War (1955–1975), Lebanon Crisis (1958), Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961), Dominican Civil War (1965–1966), Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–1969), Cambodian Civil War (1970–1975), Laotian Civil War (1959–1975), Invasion of Grenada (1983), Invasion of Panama (1989–1990), Gulf War (1990–1991), Somali Civil War (1992–1995, 2007–present), Bosnian War (1992–1995), Kosovo War (1999), War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), Iraq War (2003–2011), Intervention in Libya (2011), Intervention in Syria (2014–present), Intervention in Yemen (2015–present), Operations against ISIS (2014–present), Russia-Ukraine War (2022–present).
On the other hand international resistance may be brewing, as well as the noted national one, to put serious brakes on the same procedure other presidents were able to overcome; the question arises that can Trump match, or even excel FDR in this regard , as he claims?
Maybe soon enuf, he needs another repeat of the later’s fireside chat to convince disbelievers?
He only has a small, closing window of opportunity, so some serious positive simulation is required soon, no later then this week, preferably tomorrow!
())(()
Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy says he would give up presidency for peace and Nato membership
Comments come after Russia launches largest drone attack on eve of third anniversary of invasion
12:24 EST Sunday, 23 February 2025
12:24 EST
New York City’s Ukrainian community is “disappointed” after Trump’s ‘betrayal.”
As the US upends decades of foreign policy, those watching the war unfold from miles away resolve to stand strong.
The Guardian’s Anna Betts reports:
Members of New York’s large Ukrainian community expressed a mix of disillusionment, betrayal, defiance and acute uncertainty about what the future holds for Ukraine after tensions escalated this week between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Geopolitical events in the last week have shocked Ukrainians at home and overseas as well as US lawmakers and allies, as the US president appeared to heavily favor the Russian president Vladimir Putin to dictate peace terms on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, labeling him “a dictator” and falsely claiming Ukraine started the war.
Zelenskyy expressed extreme frustration at being excluded – as were European leaders – as the US and Russia began negotiations to end the war. Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in a Kremlin “disinformation bubble”, while US aides countered by telling Zelenskyy to “tone down” his remarks.
With the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaching on Monday, the unprecedented escalation of tensions between Kyiv and Washington, amid Trump upending decades of US foreign policy by leaning away from Europe and towards Russia, has sparked concerns about future American support for Ukraine.
For the full story, click here:
New York City’s Ukrainian community ‘disappointed’ after Trump’s ‘betrayal’
11:59 EST
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested he would be willing to step down “for peace”.
The Ukrainian president made the comment after Donald Trump called him a ‘dictator without elections’ earlier in the week. Zelenskyy was democratically elected in 2019 and has remained president since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
11:55 EST
Summary of day so far
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he would give up his presidency in exchange for Nato membership and “peace in Ukraine”.
Zelenskyy said he hoped tomorrow’s meeting with European leaders in Ukraine – which will likely largely focus on security guarantees for Kyiv ahead of so-called peace talks – will be a “turning point”.
Zelenskyy said he wanted to see Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia launched a large-scale drone attack across 13 regions of Ukraine overnight, a day before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia launched a “record” 267 drones on Ukraine in a single, coordinated attack, killing at least three people, according to officials.
Russia’s defence ministry said 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed but did not comment specifically on the drone attack.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, will travel to Washington next week to make the case for supporting Ukraine and to urge the US not to rush a ceasefire deal.
11:36 EST
In response to a question about hosting elections, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said:
“I mean, how would you recognise the elections where half of the population would not be able to vote? Because that would be the case … They won’t be able to do that. People forget when they’re raising the question like: ‘What do we do with the temporarily occupied territories now, what the people are going to do there, how they’re going to vote?’”
He added:
“How are the people going to travel there amidst the combat operations? Who’s going to let them go? Or we are willing to tell them, like something in this case, Russians will be controlling the elections in the temporarily occupied territories? There are so many questions like that.”
11:23 EST
Ukrainian president Vlodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking to reporters, saying, “We would really like it as a priority for the US to first talk to us, then to Russia.”
He went on to add, “They can discuss whatever they want in their relations…but it is not possible to decide anything about Ukraine without us. We will not recognize any such agreements, regardless of format.”
Earlier this week, the US and Russia held bilateral talks on the future of Ukraine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which Ukraine was not invited to.
Zelenskyy has criticized the meeting and Ukraine’s lack of an invite, prompting Donald Trump to falsely blame the Ukrainian president for starting the Ukraine-Russia war in 2022.
10:37 EST
The security guarantee that Zelenskyy really wants is Nato membership. European members of the military alliance still back that goal (at least publicly), but Washington appears to have taken it off the table for now, along with Ukrainian hopes of regaining the 20% of its territory seized by Russia.
In the absence of Nato membership, Zelenskyy has said that more than 100,000 European troops could be needed in Ukraine to guarantee the fighting does not start again after any potential ceasefire.
10:33 EST
Zelenskyy hopes EU leaders meeting in Ukraine on Monday will mark ‘turning point’
EU and world leaders are due to head to Kyiv tomorrow to show their support for Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discuss security guarantees. Zelenskyy said he hopes tomorrow’s meeting will be a “turning point”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among those expected to attend the meeting in person.
“We need partnership, we need help but we can’t lose our independence, we can’t lose our dignity,” Zelenskyy said.
As well as security guarantees – which Zelenskyy says Europe and the US can give Kyiv – the Ukrainian leader said the European leaders will speak about their strategy “not for the coming years, but for the coming weeks”.
French President Emmanuel Macron will head to the White House tomorrow on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer follows later in the week.
“I am going there to say that the security of the French and the Europeans is important,” Macron said over the weekend. Russia, he said, is “heavily armed” and continues to become “even more heavily-armed”.
10:15 EST
Zelenskyy: Ukraine ‘making progress’ with US on resources deal
Zelenskyy has been asked about a deal on US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals.
“We are making progress,” he said, adding that Ukrainian and US officials had been in touch about the deal earlier in the day. “We are ready to share,” the Ukrainian leader said, but made clear that Washington first needs to ensure Vladimir Putin “ends this war”.
The White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Friday that Zelenskyy was expected to sign a deal imminently. Zelenskyy said the same day that Ukrainian and US teams were working on a draft agreement. “I am hoping for … a fair result,” he said.
10:02 EST
Zelenskyy added that he wanted to see Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
“I really want it to be more than just mediation… that’s not enough,” he told the press conference. His comments come as political leaders in Europe fear Kyiv is being sidelined in talks to bring an end to the war.
The Ukrainian president has invited Trump to Ukraine and he wants him there “very much”, but he said this “unfortunately” has not been achieved yet.
The US has proposed a UN resolution on the war that omits any mention of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has been reporting. It appeared to rival a draft resolution produced by Ukraine and its European allies that stresses the need to redouble diplomatic efforts to end the war this year. Washington’s text last week called for a “swift end to the conflict” without mentioning Kyiv’s territorial integrity, and was welcomed by Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, as “a good move”.
09:54 EST
Zelenskyy suggests he would give up presidency for ‘peace’ in Ukraine
Zelenskyy, who was democratically elected the president of Ukraine in May 2019, was asked if he would be willing to “give up” being president of Ukraine in exchange for peace. “Yes, I am happy, if it is for the peace of Ukraine,” he told the press conference.
“If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for Nato membership for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy added.
His comments came after Donald Trump called the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” earlier in the week.
Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law, which has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Few Ukrainians support the idea of a poll at a time when Russia’s invasion has forced millions to flee abroad, and when Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying on the frontline, as my colleagues note in this story.
09:42 EST
Zelenskyy says the option of Ukraine joining Nato is ‘still on table’ despite Russian opposition
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making a speech on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, concluding the Ukraine: Year 2025 forum in Kyiv. He said he is focused on Ukraine’s security now, not in 20 years. He reiterated his desire for security guarantees to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position during so-called peace talks. The Ukrainian leader said Nato “is the cheapest option” and said it is “still on the table” even though Russia has said Ukraine joining the defensive alliance would pose a “direct threat” to it. He insists that a deal made without Ukraine’s direct involvement in talks would not be recognised.
09:21 EST
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has been speaking at the Ukraine Year 2025 forum being held in Kyiv (see comments made by other politicians here in post at 13.34)
Sybiha said “it is time to fasten our diplomatic seat belts” and “not give in to emotions”, adding that Kyiv is “convinced that we really have a chance to end the war this year”. He said it is important to cooperate with the Trump administration to secure a just and long-lasting “peace”.
In a post on X earlier today, Sybiha said the huge overnight Russian drone attack “demonstrates that avoiding calling Russia an aggressor does not change the fact that it is one”.
“No one should trust Putin’s words. Look at his actions instead,” he said.
09:12 EST
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to give a press conference this afternoon at about 14:30 GMT. We will bring you the latest lines from the briefing once its begins.
08:54 EST
Russia says Trump branding Zelenskyy a dictator was ‘understandable’
The Russian government has supported comments made by US President Donald Trump about Volodymyr Zelenskyy - such as calling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator” - are “understandable” after Zelenskyy made “inappropriate remarks” about Trump.
“Zelenskyy makes inappropriate remarks addressed to the head of state. He does it repeatedly,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
In response, Zelenskyy said Trump was “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia, a riposte to the US President’s erroneous claim that Ukraine started the war and that Zelenskyy’s approval ratings had plummeted to 4% when, in reality, they are closer to 60%.
“No president would tolerate that kind of treatment,” Peskov says, so Trump’s reaction is “completely quite understandable.”
08:48 EST
Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), alleges Russia intended to perpetrate a terrorist attack at a construction hypermarket in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports.
Speaking at the Year 2025 forum in Kyiv on Sunday, Maliuk says.
“They planned a terrorist attack at a construction hypermarket in Kyiv owned by a French company – I won’t name it. It was set to happen during peak hours, after 18:00, when the store is crowded. Explosive devices were placed in areas containing flammable materials,” Maliuk said.
He stressed that The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) acted proactively, preventing the attack and gathering all necessary evidence.
Maliuk adds that the SBU is countering Russia’s attempts to falsely implicate Ukraine in crimes the country could not have committed.
08:34 EST
How the the war ends will ‘determine not only the future of Europe but also the future of the world’ - Andriy Yermak
Speaking on Sunday, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, says the outcome of the war in the Ukraine will shape the future of the world after Kyiv was battered by the largest drone attack since the beginning of the war.
“We have shown the world an example of courage and resistance,” Yermak says at the Ukraine. Year 2025” forum held in Kyiv.
“Once again, the question arises: what kind of world do we want to live in? I fully agree -how the war in Ukraine ends will determine not only the future of Europe but also the future of the world. That is why the president and his entire team remain steadfast in their position: there can be no compromises on our independence, territorial integrity, or sovereignty,” Yermak said.
The “Ukraine. Year 2025” forum is taking place in Kyiv on Sunday, bringing together the leaders of state institutions. The event will conclude with a press conference by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
08:08 EST
French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week to make the case for supporting Ukraine and to urge the US not to rush a ceasefire deal.
“Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians,” Starmer, who has tried to position himself as a “bridge” between America and Europe, told the Scottish Labour Party conference in Glasgow on Sunday.
“But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future.”
08:08 EST
Around $350 billion of worth of Ukraine’s critical resources are in areas captured by Russia, Ukrainian authorities said Sunday, via the AFP.
“We have information that, unfortunately, there is about $350 billion worth of these useful critical materials in temporarily occupied territory,” deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko told a news conference in Kyiv.
“We have information that, unfortunately, there is about $350 billion worth of these useful critical materials in temporarily occupied territory,” deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko told a news conference in Kyiv.
She added that some statistics on the deposits were “obsolete”, but the estimate was based on geological surveys and open source data.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants concrete security guarantees from Trump in exchange for access to critical resources like lithium, titanium, uranium and rare earth metals.
A source in Ukraine told AFP on Saturday the Ukrainian leader was “not ready” to agree to the current US demands.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on Sunday insisted that negotiations were proceeding in a “normal” fashion.
“No one has refused anything. The normal work process is underway. And it can always take a day or months,” he said at a news conference in Kyiv.
07:42 EST
As we mentioned in the opening post, Ukraine’s air force command said a “record” 267 Russian drones were launched in a single, coordinated overnight attack. Ukraine says it intercepted 138 attack drones.
In an update, the Ukrainian air force has said the intercepted drones targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Dnipro. It said the drone attack caused damage in five regions: Dnipro, Odesa, Poltava, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Loud explosions were heard across the country through the night, including in the capital Kyiv where drone debris fell in the centre of the city.
07:27 EST
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added in his post on X earlier today that a “lasting and just peace” in Ukraine can only be achieved through the unity of all its allies, namely Europe and the US.
It comes after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia this week, without Ukraine’s involvement, raising concerns in Kyiv and the EU that any deal to end the war will be favourable to Moscow.
Some context. On Wednesday, Donald Trump said that Zelenskyy was a “dictator without elections” , warning the Ukrainian president that he “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.
Trump also said Zelenskyy had “talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn’t be won, that never had to start”.
After much of what the president said echoed Kremlin talking points, including falsehoods about Zelenskyy’s popularity being at 4% (a recent poll put it at 57%), the Ukrainian leader hit back by saying Trump was caught in a Russian “disinformation bubble”.
Despite criticism from Nato allies, preparations for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin are under way, as Washington seems to abandon the policy of western isolation of Moscow since the invasion.
07:10 EST
Zelenskyy: Ukrainians ‘stand against aerial terror’ on daily basis
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging for peace in the region following the large-scale Russian attack. In a post on X, the Ukrainian president wrote:
06:58 EST
Russia launches a large-scale drone attack across Ukraine on eve of war anniversary
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Overnight, Russia hit Ukraine with its largest single drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, which was launched on 24 February 2022, a spokesperson for the country’s air force has said.
Ukraine’s air defence shot down 138 drones while 119 decoy drones were lost. Russia also launched three ballistic missiles. Drones were intercepted in at least 13 regions including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two people in Kherson were reportedly killed in the attacks. Another casualty was reported in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, the industrial city where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy grew up.
Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said that 20 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight.
Why you can rely on the Guardian not to bow to Trump – or anyone
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s independent journalism as we begin to cover the second Trump administration.
As Trump himself observed: “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
He’s not entirely wrong. All around us, media organizations have begun to capitulate. First, two news outlets pulled election endorsements at the behest of their billionaire owners. Next, prominent reporters bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago. And then a major network – ABC News – rolled over in response to Trump’s legal challenges and agreed to a $16m million settlement in his favor.
The Guardian is clear: we have no interest in being Donald Trump’s – or any politician’s – friend. Our allegiance as independent journalists is not to those in power but to the public. Whatever happens in the coming months and years, you can rely on the Guardian never to bow down to power, nor back down from truth.
How are we able to stand firm in the face of intimidation and threats? As journalists say: follow the money. The Guardian has neither a self-interested billionaire owner nor profit-seeking corporate henchmen pressuring us to appease the rich and powerful. We are funded by our readers and owned by the Scott Trust – whose only financial obligation is to preserve our journalistic mission in perpetuity.
Heard it otherwise, another preceding prez. Saying:
“Speak soft but carry a big stick”
There goes furtherance of linked passionate political feelings, as they appear to link with a quasi shrouded dasigned defraction.
The real deal here reminds me of NATO wasting it’s time debating wether to send in military and economic aide into 
Hungary in 1956, that window of opportunity closed by late in that year, never again to reopen, and as a result, the prime minister and the defense minister were hung in a public square, revolutionary boys were summarily executed.
Pretty much a similar scenario here, except the focus of power shifting from a de facto exclusion, along with Europe and Kiev, , -to Trump.
Right. Clearly a euphemism for the ISA’s imperial agenda. Pax Americana [1][2][3] (Latin for ‘American Peace’, modeled after Pax Romana and Pax Britannica ), also called the "Long Peace ", is a term applied to the concept of relative peace in the Western Hemisphereand later in the world after the end of World War II in 1945, when the United States[4] became the world’s dominant economic, cultural, and military power.
So, if one wanted to, one could evaluate it in comparison with Rome’s and Britain’s Pax’s. For me the point is that Trump’s America First at this point doesn’t seem to be the isolationist policy that he presented on the campaign trail. Rather, it looks like naked imperialist expansionism. I would be happily be wrong about this as I would be about the consequences of Musk’s chainsaw on the general welfare of the American people and our federal democratic institutions.
I think it is mostly hot air. Panama and Greenland are vulnerable if they do not get the support they deserve, but Canda and Mexico would be imossible to keep.
The US could not even control Iraq and Afghanistan.
Greeland is the soverign terrirory of Denmark and an attack would be an attack on the EU.
Canada is part of the commonwealth and whilst some would see this as an attack on the KING. others would see this as an attack on NATO.
As for Mexico. DO I need to say how absurd that would be. If Trump thinks there is an immigration problem now - try invading Mexico.
That leaves Panama. Are other countries concerned enough to protect it? DO they really want the US increasing CANAL costs.
I hope you’re right. Trump is replacing the top brass and firing military lawyers and replacing them with stooges willing to carry out his expansionist plans without questioning. If his disastrous domestic agenda results in massive civil disobedience as I expect, he will use them to crush resistance as well. Again, I hope I’m wrong.
I seriously do not think Eurpope is going to stand for it.
He might get away with taking Panama, given the US’s recent history.
P=Trump is a Russian asset. The evidence is massive going back to the 1980s, and bailouts by Russian oligarchs and it parsimoniously explains why he is now aligning with Russia against US’s European allies and Ukraine.
If you didn’t believe it before, today you simply have to watch the Trump/Vance White House mafia shakedown with Zelensky, and believe your own eyes!
Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blowup
BY WILL WEISSERT, ZEKE MILLER AND AAMER MADHANI
Updated 6:14 PM EST, February 28, 2025
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Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” Friday in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, then abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal with the U.S. that Trump said would have moved Ukraine closer to ending its war with Russia.
The astonishing turn of events could scramble affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy was expected to sign the deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and hold a joint news conference, but that plan was scrapped after the heated engagement between the leaders in front of the news media.
It’s unclear what the blowup could mean for the deal that Trump insisted was essential to repay the U.S. for the more than $180 billion in American aid sent to Kyiv since the start of the war. And it remains to be seen what, if anything, Trump wants Zelenskyy to do to get the deal back on track.
The Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain. Untouched salad plates and other lunch items were being packed up outside the Cabinet room, where the lunch between Trump and Zelenskyy and their delegations was supposed to have taken place.
The White House said the Ukrainian delegation was told to leave.
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump told Zelenskyy.
The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute meeting devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy, who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
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President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)
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President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)
Zelenskyy’s main objective going into the sit-down had been to press Trump not to abandon his country and to warn against moving too closely to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Instead he got shouted at while Trump appeared to play up the drama for the cameras.
At one point, Zelenskyy said Putin had broken “his own signature” 25 times on ceasefires and other agreements and could not be trusted. Trump responded that Putin had not broken agreements with him and mostly ducked questions about offering security guarantees to Ukraine, saying he thought the minerals deal — which is now on-hold — would effectively end the fighting.
Things first got testy after Vance challenged Zelenskyy, telling him, “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” Zelensky tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
At another point, Trump declared himself “in the middle” and not on the side of either Ukraine or Russia in the conflict. He went on to deride Zelenskyy’s “hatred” for Putin as a roadblock to peace.
President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)
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0:00 / 1:23
AP AUDIO: Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blow up
AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on an Oval Office shouting match.
“You see the hatred he’s got for Putin,” Trump said. “That’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.”
Trump later told reporters, shortly before departing for his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida for the weekend, that he wanted an “immediate ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine but expressed doubt that Zelenskyy was ready to make peace.
Following the meeting, Trump posted on his social media site that he had “determined” that Zelenskyy “is not ready for Peace.”
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump wrote.
Democrats immediately criticized the administration for the breakdown. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said Trump and Vance “are doing Putin’s dirty work.”
The testy discussion was especially surprising since it came a day after Trump struck a more conciliatory tone toward Ukraine, calling America’s support for the country against Russia’s invasion “a very worthy thing to do” and disclaiming any memory that he had called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator.”
Trump and Zelenskyy spoke politely, even with admiration, of each another for the first half hour of the meeting. But, when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Putin to end the fighting, Vance offered his strong rebuke for airing disagreements with Trump in public.
That instantly shifted the tenor of the conversation as Zelenskyy grew defensive and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful and issued stark warnings about future American support.
“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump said to Zelenskyy as the two leaders talked over each other about past international support for Ukraine.
Vance then interjected, “Again, just say thank you.”
Zelenskyy pushed back on Vance, telling him he’s offered his appreciation “a lot of times” to the American people and the president. The Ukrainian leader after leaving the White House expressed his gratitude on social media.
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
But administration officials were not satisfied with Zelenskyy and perceived a “hostility” with him and his body language in the Oval Office, according to a White House official. Trump also objected to the Ukrainian leader bringing up the issue of security guarantees when Trump made clear he wanted to focus on the minerals deal, said the official who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)
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Former President Joe Biden had also grown frustrated at moments with Zelenskyy for being insufficiently grateful of American support, according to former administration officials. But unlike Trump, Biden expressed his displeasure with Zelenskyy privately.
Trump also suggested that Zelenskyy should not be demanding concessions.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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Shortly before the meeting ended, Trump said, “This is going to be great television.”
Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump, center, listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)
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As Ukrainian forces hold out against slow but steady advances by Russia’s larger and better-equipped army, leaders in Kyiv have sought to ensure any potential U.S.-brokered peace plan would include guarantees for the country’s future security.
0:00 / 55
AP AUDIO: At meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy will seek security assurances against future Russian aggression
AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports on a key meeting about the future of Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians fear that a hastily negotiated peace — especially one that makes too many concessions to Russian demands — would allow Moscow to rearm and consolidate its forces for a future invasion after current hostilities cease.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally who has advocated to keep up American support for Ukraine, told Fox News he wasn’t confident that the Trump-Zelenskyy relationship could be repaired.
“I don’t know if you can ever do a deal with Zelenskyy anymore,” the South Carolina Republican said.
Fears that Trump could broker a peace deal with Russia that is unfavorable to Ukraine have been amplified by recent precedent-busting actions by his administration.
Trump held a lengthy phone call with Putin, and U.S. officials met with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia without inviting European or Ukrainian leaders — both dramatic breaks with previous U.S. policy to isolate Putin over his invasion.
Trump later seemed to falsely blame Ukraine for starting the war and called Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding elections after the end of his regular term last year, though Ukrainian law prohibits elections while martial law is in place. European leaders were quick reinforce their support for Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting.
European leaders were quick to reiterate their support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
In a post on X, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Zelenskyy’s “dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people.”
“Be strong, be brave, be fearless,” she added. “You are never alone, dear President.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloniproposed “an immediate summit” between the United States and European allies “to speak frankly about how we intend to face today’s great challenges, starting with Ukraine.”
“Every division of the West makes us all weaker and favors those who would like to see the decline of our civilization,” she said. “A division would not benefit anyone.”
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Associated Press writers Justin Spike in Kyiv, Stephanie Dazio in Berlin, Giada Zampano in Rome, JJ Cooper in Phoenix, and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington.
Miller leads coverage of the president and the presidency for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington.
Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating at the end of February was lower than that of former President Joe Biden at the same point in his presidency, according to recent polls.
Yesterday’s performance is bound to bring it down further. Can Trump’s agenda succeed without popular support? He may have to invade a weak little country like Reagan invaded Grenada to show the world what a powerful King Kong he is. Panama might be a good choice for a made-for-television military takeover.
The evidence that Trump is a Russian agent keeps pouring in:
Too bizarre to digest. WTF was THAT? Trump and Vance have clearly both carefully studied the corporate texbook, ‘How to ‘win’ an argument using bullying and intimidation’–complete with detailed diagrams of hand movements and comes with CD instructions on voice tone. I didn’t see Zelensky make a single corporate hand gesture. F Americans and their corporate bs. They need to be forced to have their f ing hands tied behind their backs. No, Americans, waving your hands around does NOT make your argument any less stupid.
It was an obvious ambush, with Vance the main instigator. Why was he even there? Who cares what a VP has to say? Can’t Trump do ‘anything’ on his own?
What exactly was Trump offering Ukraine in exchange for its minerals? I missed that. Since when did countries ask for ‘aid money’ back? I don’t know why Zelensky would want ‘help’ from the US anyway. Has any good EVER come from the USA’s ‘help’?
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A balanced/unbiased view on the Trump Vance Zelensky discussion, by analysing body-language, translating Zelensky‘s mutterings under his breath, and assessing the conversation as it unfolded… including the [omitted] start of the conversation that caused the talk to take the direction that it did.
Go to 7.20 minutes in…
Like there’s ever going to be a ‘balanced unbiased’ analysis of it 
You’re only going to ‘agree’ with whatever suits your political persuasion (whatever that is).
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Well, the fact that such discussions usually happen behind closed doors instead of infront of public scrutiny, so they do happen.
First i was ashamed of Vance but the guy is right, Zelensky basically says the US has not done enough and he doesn’t care for diplomatic efforts. He wants the war, which has made him a billionaire, to continue.
Nothing like a good old ambush in the White House with TASS cameras broadcasting it live to Moscow.Putin smiled and licked his lips.