President Donald Trump on Monday excoriated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for saying an end to the Russia-Ukraine war "is still very, very far away."
Zelenskyy was told to leave the White House on Friday following a fiery exchange with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office. The U.S. leaders called Zelenskyy disrespectful during their meeting over bringing an end to war.
Before leaving a conference of European leaders on Sunday night in London, Zelenskyy said, "I think our relationship [with the U.S.] will continue, because it's more than an occasional relationship."
"I believe that Ukraine has a strong enough partnership with the United States of America" to keep military aid flowing, Zelenskyy said.
However, Trump blasted the Ukrainian president for that comment.
"This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?" Trump posted late Monday morning on Truth Social with a link to an Associated Press story that included the Ukrainian president’s comments.
Trump campaigned on working to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and it appeared things were headed in that direction when Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Friday to sign a minerals deal with the U.S.
During their meeting, however, Trump told Zelenskyy he was being disrespectful in his push for U.S. security commitments to keep his country safe from further Russian aggression.
"You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump said. "You're gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have."
He added, "Your people are very brave, but you're either going to make a deal, or we're out. And if we're out, you'll fight it out.”
Zelenskyy was told to leave the White House and he did not sign the expected mineral agreement.
The New York Times reported Monday that Trump planned to discuss suspending or canceling U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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