‘Thank you America… Ukraine needs just…’: Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweets after inconclusive talks with Trump
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit.” Those were the opening words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s post on microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), after his talks with US President Donald Trump over a potential Ukraine-US critical minerals deal ended in the Ukrainian leader leaving the White House abruptly.
“Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” wrote the Ukrainian president.
The discussion began on a mild note, with both leaders patiently listening to each other amid a barrage of questions from reporters, but turned awry minutes into the conversation when Trump noticed that Zelenskyy was not open to the idea of cease fire in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
Trump interrupted Zelenskyy repeatedly when the Ukrainian leader disagreed with the idea of cease fire with Russia. On the other hand, Zelenskyy chose not to respond to questions from reporters asking him if a peace deal to resolve his nation’s war with Russia was now dead.
What would a US-Ukraine deal mean for the world’s largest economy?
The potential deal—that did not come through—would provide the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
It would be part of a broader effort to put an end to a three-year-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia that started when Russia invaded its neighbour.
‘Gambling with WWIII’
“I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful…,” said Trump during the meeting.
Trump also accused Zelenskyy of “gambling” with what could be the third World War, after the Ukrainian President called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer” and a “terrorist”.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine remains committed to peace.
The talks materialised roughly a week after Zelenskyy said Trump was “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia.
With inputs from agencies
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