For weeks, American allies worked behind the scenes to keep Washington and Kyiv aligned. Then, in less than two minutes, it all unraveled. When President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in the White House on Friday, the world expected tense but calculated diplomacy. Instead, what unfolded was a political spectacle—finger-pointing, raised voices, and a stark ultimatum from Trump: “You either make a deal or we are out.”
Zelenskyy, caught between survival and strategy, tried to push back, warning of Putin’s history of broken promises. But Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, shut him down, painting him as ungrateful and reckless. The meeting, meant to reinforce US-Ukraine relations, ended in disaster. Planned lunches and press conferences were scrapped, and Zelenskyy was shown the door.
“You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards,” Trump said, adding: “You gotta be more thankful.” “Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?” Vance echoed.
The fallout was immediate. Zelenskyy took to X, carefully expressing gratitude to the American people while subtly signaling concern. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration quietly moved forward with backchannel talks with Moscow, fueling speculation about a major shift in US foreign policy.
“We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion,” Zelenskyy said.
Vance, a staunch critic of US support for Ukraine, was the first to challenge Zelenskyy, insisting that diplomacy was the only viable path forward.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskyy asked citing Russia’s repeated violations of past ceasefires.
The tone did not go down well with the top US leader when he responded: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” adding “Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
For Ukraine, the message was clear: the unwavering American support of the past was over. Diplomacy had just 90 seconds to survive—and it didn’t stand a chance.
The clash marked yet another bold move by Trump to upend established US foreign policy in his first six weeks back in office, adding to growing unease among longtime American allies. His presidency’s unpredictable direction has already forced partners to reassess their standing in Washington.
Just weeks earlier, Trump proposed permanently relocating Palestinians from Gaza and floated the idea of US control over the territory. At the same time, he has ramped up economic tensions by pushing ahead with steep tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, set to take effect next week.
