On Febuary 28th, 2025 President Zelensky of Ukraine visited the White House and held a press conference with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
I think this was a historic meeting for a few reasons.
How it started (first 50 seconds)
How it ended
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Trump is shifting the narrative on Russia
Trump seems very soft on Putin, and will not guarantee the security of Ukraine in the future. Trump says he trusts that the Russians and Putin will not invade again. Trump expressed multiple times that Russian soldiers were dying and how bad that is.
Trump's response to being asked about the what-if of Russia breaking the ceasefire details all we need to know. He is willing to side with Putin before viewing Russia as a threat.
Weakening the relationship with Europe
In a weird moment in the meeting, an issue of free speech is brought up involving Europe. Marco Rubio and JD Vance say this is a threat to Americans and we will have to handle it.
I thought this was extremely out of place. Especially in the context of President Zelensky saying that Europe and the United States must be united together. I think this is setting the stage for future events (astro-turfing) and superficially creating conflict with Europe.
President Zelensky handled that very well
Trump and Vance could not handle having tough conversations and resorted to yelling and bullying. Ironically, they say we need to be more diplomatic with Russia but showed very little diplomacy to President Zelensky in this meeting.
They felt like he was being disrespectful by not saying "thank you" enough or saying that Ukraine has been alone in the fight. I do not feel that way. I thought they were much more disrespectful in tone and speech.
My Conclusion
In this meeting the only threat that was aknowledged by the United States by Vance, Trump, or Rubio was Europe - due to "free speech". Not once did Trump confirm his agreement with President Zelensky that Putin is in fact a killer.
I am very concerned about the growing sympathy for Russia. I think we will continue to see Russia and the Trump administration being brought together under the agenda that Europe is bad (somehow) and that funding to Ukraine is not justified (somehow).
A full breakdown of the meeting
1m:15s
Trump says both sides are losing a lot of soldiersWatch clip
3m:07s
Zelensky thanks TrumpWatch clip
4m:21s
Zelensky emphasizes Putin is a killer and started this warWatch clip
9m:18s
Trump says he has spoken with Putin, and is not worried about securityWatch clip
9m:47s
Trump highlights Russian soldiers are dyingWatch clip
12m:00s
Trump is fact checked by Zelensky on European spendingWatch clip
15m:07s
Zelensky highlights again that Putin started this warWatch clip
16m:33s
Trump calls Ukraine a hostile party in the warWatch clip
18m:45s
Zelensky asked why he is not wearing a suitWatch clip
20m:13s
Trump downplays securityWatch clip
21m:01s
Trump says Russia will not invade again, probablyWatch clip
21m:38s
Trump asked how he found the moral conviction to be diplomatic with RussiaWatch clip
23m:29s
Zelensky brings up that Putin has broken various ceasefire deals 25 times, even while Trump was presidentWatch clip
25m:13s
Zelensky says that Putin will not stop, and US needs to be involvedWatch clip
27m:40s
Trump claims he is for both sides in negotiationsWatch clip
29m:57s
Trump says its unfortunate that Zelensky hates RussiaWatch clip
32m:48s
Tump says Ukraine is destroyed, Zelensky calls this out as Putin's propogandaWatch clip
33m:54s
Tump talks about how he has known Putin a long time, and discusses how Putin has sufferedWatch clip
35m:08s
A strange moment during this meeting: a question on free speech in Europe. The United States highlighted that this administration needs to take action against Europe due to the threat they pose to Americans.Watch clip
37m:30s
Trump does not give details on if Russia will be forced to leave Ukraine if deal is signed and says he believes Russia will not attack againWatch clip
38m:55s
Trump asked why he aligns with Putin, says he does, then says he doesn't. He then points out its hard to do a deal because Zelensky hates Putin.Watch clip
40m:14s
JD Vance says we must be diplomatic with Russia. Zelensky calls out JD Vance on how that does not work.Watch clip
Zelensky says America will feel threats in the future regardless of ocean, Trump loses his temper calling him disrespectfulWatch clip
44m:03s
Trump blames Zelensky for gambling with WWIIIWatch clip
44m:18s
JD Vance asks if Zelensky has said thank you onceWatch clip
44m:38s
Trump interrupts Zelensky, loses temperWatch clip
45m:05s
Trump calls Biden stupid, and credits him with arming and funding Ukraine which helped Ukraine not get destroyed in 3 days or lessWatch clip
45m:05s
Trump says this is great television after saying he kept this going for so long so the American people can see what he is dealing withWatch clip
46m:07s
Trump mocks ZelenskyWatch clip
46m:43s
Trump mentions he approved Javelins and says "You gotta be more thankful"Watch clip
47m:15s
Trump asked about Russia possibly breaking a ceasefire, does not answer the questions, then mentions how Putin has suffered tooWatch clip
Reporter:What if Russia breaks ceasefire?
Trump:What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now? Ok, what if they break it. I dont know. They broke it with Biden, because they didnt respect him. They didnt respect Obama. They respect me. Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell-of-alot with me. He went through a phony witchhunt where they used him and Russia... Russia, Russia, Russia. You ever hear of that deal?
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