Trump and Zelensky Shouted at Each Other... The Catastrophic Summit, 'Mineral Agreement' Also Broken

Differences in Stance Lead to Public Dispute
Follow-up Events Canceled... Trump Tells Zelensky "Leave"
Trump: "He Was Not Someone Who Wanted to Make Peace"
Zelensky Seeks to Ease Tensions: "We Don't Want to Lose Our Partner"
"Our Attitude Toward Russia Cannot Change"

The summit between the United States and Ukraine ended in disaster on the 28th (local time) after a heated confrontation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are meeting and having a heated argument on the 28th (local time). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

According to major foreign media including AFP, during the meeting held at the White House that day, President Trump and President Zelensky engaged in a dispute in front of the press over their differing views on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ceasefire. President Trump canceled the scheduled mineral agreement signing ceremony and joint press conference, and told President Zelensky to leave the White House.

Before leaving for his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, after the summit at the White House, President Trump met with reporters and pressured President Zelensky by saying, "He (President Zelensky) cannot win without us (the United States)." He also said about him, "He was not someone who wanted to make peace."

President Trump also evaluated President Zelensky's attitude during the meeting by saying, "He was overconfident." Trump said that while he wanted an "immediate ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, President Zelensky did not want it, adding, "He pursues 'fight, fight, fight.'

He then said, "We will not continue to fight," and added, "Either we (through negotiations) end the war, or he has to fight until the end." He continued, "If he fights until the end, it will not be pretty," explaining, "Because without us, he cannot win."

When asked whether he would stop military support to Ukraine, President Trump said, "What I am considering is not important," and pointed out President Zelensky's attitude by saying, "Didn’t you all see what I saw today?"

President Trump added about President Zelensky, "He didn’t need to say all those negative things about Putin (the Russian president) during the meeting," and "He should have said he wanted to achieve peace."

Trump also pointed out, "He has no cards," and said, "We will not continue to fight," adding, "If the war does not end, they will fight until the end." This statement can be interpreted as implying that if President Zelensky does not agree to the ceasefire negotiations, the United States may cut support to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are meeting on the 28th (local time) and are clashing loudly during the talks. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

President Zelensky moved to de-escalate the situation. In an interview with Fox News anchor Brett Baier, he said, "It will be difficult for Ukraine to stop Russia without the support of the United States," adding, "That is why I came here and why we are talking about future negotiations." He continued, "This situation is not good for either side," and extended a hand by saying, "We do not want to lose our American partner."

However, he refused to apologize for the clash. When asked if he should apologize to President Trump, he said, "We have to be very honest. I’m not sure if we did anything wrong." Nevertheless, he did not give up on restoring relations.

President Zelensky said that the wartime alliance relationship can "of course" be restored, expressing hope that President Trump "really wants to be on our side."

He reaffirmed a tough stance toward Russia. He stated, "Ukraine’s attitude toward Russia cannot change one bit," and firmly declared that peace talks will not proceed until there are security guarantees.