Zelenskyy’s humiliation at the Oval Office
On February 28, 2025, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, was in the Oval Office to sign the mineral agreement that will allow America to take advantage of the rare-earth minerals in Ukraine. However, the meeting took an unexpected turn when JD Vance, the American Vice President and Donal Trump, the American President, took turns to attack Zelenskyy and tagged him as ungrateful and disrespectful to America.
Vance specifically accused Zelenskyy of litigating in front of the world’s press and criticised Zelenskyy for participating in photo-ops with the Democrats during the 2024 campaign. This, Vance tagged as being disrespectful to the Trump administration.
Vance thereafter said that Ukraine has man power problems hence the reason conscripts were taken to the front lines and that Zelenskyy should have been thankful that Trump wants to end the conflict. JD Vance spoke with such confidence about Ukraine when he has never been there to see firsthand what was going on there. This was a fact to which he openly admitted. President Zelenskyy therefore invited Vance to Ukraine that he needs to see firsthand the havoc wrecked on his country. However, Trump interjected that the sight will not incite any feelings in them. This is because America is good and strong and will feel good and strong. However, Zelenskyy is not in a very good position due to his choices.
Zelenskyy was accused of toying with the lives of his citizens and with Third World War and that he is obstructing the brokerage of peace in the circumstance.
Sadly, he was not given ample opportunity to reply to all the allegations levelled against him. On the contrary, he was berated and subsequently walked out of the Oval Office. The Ukrainians who accompanied Zelenskyy to the meeting were also walked out of the White House. Trump posted on his X handle that Zelenskyy was not welcomed back until he is ready for peace.
America’s Presidency leave a presupposition of American-Russian Alliance.
Never before has an American president verbally attacked his visitor like Trump did, leading to an almost-breakdown in relations between the two nations. Trump even at one point threatened to give up on Ukraine entirely. He said that Ukraine is only tough because of America’s support and that it was leveraging on America’s weapons to be able to negotiate the war. Trump also threatened that if Ukraine does not stand with America and sign the mineral deal, America will pull out of the war.
A Dictator
Ahead of Zelenskyy’s arrival, Trump voiced his open hostility towards Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator without elections. He also blamed him for strong-arming the United States into spending hundreds of billions of dollars to go into a war that could not be won. As expected, Ukraine Parliament declared a martial law at the onset of the Russian invasion. To me this is in line with international practice. Ukraine was due to hold presidential election in 2024. However, this was impossible because of the martial law in place as troops are on the front lines and millions of Ukrainian refugees are abroad. Trump’s claims that Zelensky is a “dictator” was inappropriate. It should be noted that former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that would take place only “60 days after the war.”
In Zelensky’s view, the end of the war envisioned by Trump is on the terms envisaged by Russia. Many members of Trump’s administration have ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv and said that the US troop would not help guarantee Ukraine’s security when the war ends.
The US has made a number of policy changes recently which have heralded a more cooperative stance with Russia:
1. The White House ordered a pause on military aid to Ukraine as the administration carries out a review.
2. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to cease offensive cyber operations and information operations against Russia. It is unclear how long the order will last.
3. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on her first day in office, disbanded efforts to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs, breaking up Biden-era programmes known as Task Force Klepto Capture and the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
4. In a separate directive, Bondi ordered a halt to a federal law enforcement initiative to combat secret influence campaigns by Russia, China and other traditional U.S. adversaries that attempt to sow division in U.S. politics.
5. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top Trump administration officials travelled to Saudi Arabia last month to start peace negotiations with Russia. However, Ukrainian officials had not been invited to the negotiations.
Trump and Vance have shown by the events of the meeting on 28th February 2025, and various decisions that were made thereafter that the American Presidency is in support of Putin in attacking Ukraine. Trump had openly attacked Zelensky from the time the phone call between Trump and Zelenskyy’s was leaked to the press leading to his impeachment during his first tenure in office although the Senate exonerated him of the charge. On the other hand, Vance is known for his criticisms of the assistance to Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Various members of Trump’s cabinet have also called for the resignation of Zelenskyy as a path to America’s involvement in peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, said either he (Zelenskyy) “needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that.”
Senator Lindsey Graham said that “I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again”.
Senator Jack Reed noted that the meeting was a political ambush and a shameful failure of American leadership. He further stated that it is a cruel and callous display that does great harm to US standing in the world. Trump and Vance are communicating to the world that the United States is not to be trusted.
It is important to note that Ukraine knew from the onset that it will be unable to survive a full-blown war with Russia without help. However, America at the time promised Zelenskyy that it will support Ukraine in the war against Russia for as long as it takes. It was on the reliance on this promise that many other nations pledged their support to the war in support of Ukraine. This is the reason why Russia has been unable to overrun Ukraine.
For America to pull out of the war now passes a strong message to allies and enemies of the United States alike that America cannot be trusted to uphold its own foreign policies.
European Nations pledge support to Ukraine
Since this meeting, many European nations have risen to support Ukraine in the war against Russia. Denmark, for example, has pledged $57 million for humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. The United Kingdoms has committed 12.8 billion Pounds to support Ukraine in the war.
It will appear that the free world is being pushed to the brink of fracturing early in President Trump’s new term.
The move by trump had motivated European countries to increase their support for Ukraine. The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer promised a coalition of the willingness to arm and defend Ukraine. However, he again stated that durable peace would need the US security guarantee.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen also stated that there is a need to turn Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.
Conclusion
The US presidency bullied the leader of a democratic nation under Russia’s illegal onslaught and accused Zelensky of starting an unprovoked war with Russia. The whole world knows that it was Russia and not Ukraine that started the war.
This attack on Ukrainian President does not serve the cause of peace. Rather, it suggests that Trump is not interested in brokering peace, but in imposing a peace deal on Ukraine after offering many concessions to Putin and echoing Russia’s propaganda. America’s move against Zelenskyy has however encouraged European countries to come together to protect and aid Ukraine.
While everyone agrees that ending the war should be the most important pursuit of the world, the terms on which the war must end is equally as important.
The settlement plan should not make Ukraine subservient to Russia. On the contrary, it should restore Ukraine and Russia to their status quo before the war started, while punishing concerned individuals for war crimes and charging Russia with the repair of Ukraine.
Whatever happens, the recent events confirm the old saying that while the strong does what he likes, the weak suffers what he must.
*Please send your comment/ contribution to president@abuad.edu.ng
The post Ukraine at a crossroads: The strong does what it likes while the weak suffers what he must, by Afe Babalola appeared first on Vanguard News.
