The world watched on in horror on February 28 as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance teamed up to belittle and besmirch the Ukrainian president. Zelenskyy and his delegates had traveled to Washington with the aim of finally securing a deal that promised the end of their war with Russia (a war, readers will hopefully know, that was initiated when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.)
And yet instead of treating Zelenskyy with the respect and sympathy he deserves after having seen to the defenses of his country in the face of overwhelming odds for over three years, Trump and Vance went on the attack, raising their voices and repeatedly demanding that Zelenskyy gave thanks for the support the US has thus far offered.
Needless to say, peace deals are not a natural product of such environments.
To his credit, Zelenskyy swallowed all that Trump and Vance had to say without losing his temper, but relations between the US and Ukraine were obviously fractured by a circus that played out in full view of the world’s press.
Following the car-crash meeting, Zelenskyy and his team were asked to leave the White House early, with Trump later deciding to suspend any and all US aid for Ukraine, as well as intelligence sharing.
Intelligence sharing has since been resumed following more productive talks between the two countries in Jeddah, though what real damage was done by Trump’s apparent unwillingness to openly stand up to Vladimir Putin and Russia remains to be seen.
In the immediate aftermath of the Oval Office incident, Zelenskyy shared a post wherein he labeled the scene “regrettable”.
“It is regrettable that it happened this way,” the president wrote. “It is time to make things right. We would like future co-operation and communication to be constructive.”
Zelenskyy’s latest speech saw him make a sly reference to the way he was treated at the White House, stemming from criticism of his wardrobe as he opted not to don a suit for his meeting in Washington.
Zelenskyy wore black trousers, boots and a black jumper embroidered with the Ukrainian trident – fitting, some would opine, for a man tasked with repelling an invading force. Yet one journalist present at the talks accused him of “not respecting the dignity” of the Oval Office.
The Ukrainian president replied that he would wear a ‘costume’ when the war is finished, adding: “Maybe something like yours, maybe something better. We will see, maybe something cheaper.”
And Zelenskyy didn’t fail to slip a sarcastic remark into a recent speech at an awards ceremony in Kyiv on Sunday, March 9.
Wearing a similar outfit to the one he wore in Washington, he congratulated the recipients of said awards, before adding he was ‘grateful to all Ukrainian creators’.
Zelenskyy then quipped: “Apologies that I am not wearing a suit.”
After a meeting in Saudi Arabia a joint statement revealed that the Ukraine had accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire lasting 30 days. It could be put in place if Russia accept it as well.
