Trump’s Marching Orders from Putin
What Putin ordered Trump to do is now clear.
FEBRUARY 28, 2025, 3:36 PM
A White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday quickly spiraled into an antagonistic exchange, stunning onlookers and intensifying uncertainty about the future of a potential U.S.-Ukraine deal over natural resources.
The cameras are a catalyst to draw out Trump drama.
Putin is embolden by direct support from Trump and Vance. Ahead of Friday’s tense exchange, both U.S. leaders were expected to make headway on or even finalize an agreement that could see Ukraine contribute revenues from its state-owned mineral, gas, and oil resources into a co-managed investment fund in exchange for continued U.S. support. Putin had other ideas.
Discussions rapidly devolved in front of the news media in the Oval Office as both Trump and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance—who was also at the meeting—loudly and repeatedly berated Zelensky, with Vance accusing the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful” toward the United States. The two U.S. leaders often spoke over Zelensky when he tried to respond.
You will see the bombastic, inflammatory statements emanating from U.S. leaders, but never from the diplomatic Zelenskyy.
The contentious meeting caps weeks of tenuous relations between the two countries. Before Trump’s return to office in January, Washington had been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war effort since Russia’s full-scale invasion began 3 years ago. Now U.S.-Ukraine ties have devolved as Trump has moved closer to Russia. Trump and Vance echo the Kremlin’s talking points on Ukraine. Trump offered Russian President Vladimir Putin major concessions, without involving Kyiv, with NOTHING in return from Putin. A sucker deal.
Here is the transcript of Trump, Zelensky, and Vance’s contentious exchange. It has been edited for length and clarity.
TRANSCRIPT:
Vance: For four years, in the United States of America, we had a president who stood up in press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity is (sic) maybe engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.
Zelenskyy: He [Putin] occupied various parts of Ukraine in 2014. During that time, it was President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden, and now it’s President Trump and he will stop him [Putin]. But during 2014, nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people. From 2014 till 2022, the situation was the same—people have been dying on the contact line and nobody stopped him. We had a lot of conversations with him, including a bilateral conversation. As a new president in 2019, I signed with him a cease-fire deal alongside Macron and Merkel. All of them told me that he will never go. We also signed a gas contract with him. But after all of that, he broke the cease-fire. He killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, J.D., are you speaking about? What do you mean?
Vance: I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.
[Zelensky begins to respond but is cut off by Vance]
Vance: Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems—you should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.
Zelenskyy: Have you ever been to Ukraine to see what problems we have? Come once.
Vance: I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people in your military, and do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?
Zelenskyy: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel [the problems] now. But you will feel it in the future.
Vance: Have you said thank you once?
Zelenskyy: A lot of times.
Vance: No, in this entire meeting, have you said thank you? You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.
Zelenskyy: Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly…
Trump: He is not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble.
Zelenskyy: I know. Can I ask…
Trump: No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.
Zelenskyy: I know.
Trump: You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.
Zelenskyy: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel [the problems] now. But you will feel it in the future.
Trump: You don’t know that.
Zelenskyy: God bless, you will not have war.
Trump: Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem.
Zelenskyy: I’m not. I’m answering the question that…
Trump: You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.
Zelenskyy: You are going to feel influenced…
Trump: We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re, right now, not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. You don’t have the cards right now with us. [Zelensky continues speaking] You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War Three. You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.
Zelenskyy: Mr. President, we are staying strong in our country. From the very beginning of the war we’ve been alone and we are thankful. I said thank you in this cabinet.
Trump: We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion. We gave you military equipment. Your men are brave but they have used our military equipment. If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.
Zelenskyy: In three days, yes. I heard it from Putin.
Trump: It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.
Vance: Just say thank you.
Zelenskyy: I said thank you—I say thank you to the American people.
Vance: Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements, rather than trying to fight it out in the American media, when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.
The tag team jumps Zelenskyy. Two useful idiots three-handing a STFU to one courageous and respectful head of state. Disgusting diplomacy.
Trump: You see, 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. You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. You people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. Listen, you’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing. Then you tell us, “I don’t want to cease fire. I don’t want to cease fire.” If you could get a cease-fire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.
Zelenskyy: Yes, of course I want to stop the war. But, as I’ve said to you, with guarantees. Ask our people about the cease-fire, what do they think.
Trump: That wasn’t me. That was with a guy named Biden, who was not a smart person. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets. I gave you javelins. I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is Obama gave sheets and Trump gave javelins. You got to be more thankful, because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards. It’ll be a tough deal to make because the attitudes have to change.
“You either make a deal or we are out,” Trump told Zelenskyy, underscoring the American leader’s plans to dictate a swift end to the war or leave its longtime ally to continue the fight without its strongest backer. Orders from Putin, I presume.
After talks concluded, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he and Zelensky had a “very meaningful meeting.” “It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” Trump wrote.
“[Zelensky] disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” Trump added. “He can come back when he is ready for PEACE.”
What we are seeing is an abject inability to govern combined with belligerent diplomacy. Simply deplorable conduct.
The wrath from President Donald Trump directed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Ukraine's future in the balance was not diplomacy. Trump owes an apology to Zelenskyy.
The stunning exchange, before cameras and one unlike any other in the Oval Office in modern times, saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuke Zelenskyy for his handling of the war, again falsely blaming the Ukrainian leader for a conflict that began when Russia's Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Trump would not listen to Zelenskyy asking for a security agreement to cover when Putin reneges on his word. Putin already has broken his word with Ukraine. Trump defended Putin and wrongfully called Zelenskyy disrespectful. Trump began to tell Zelenskyy about Ukraine’s own manpower. Disrespectful. Disgusting.
The Road Ahead. Trump already asked our military to shoot our citizens on the streets, “Can we shoot them in the legs?”), but the military refused. You know how far with this that he is going. The next fork in the road, no one knows what will unfold. Grab a flashlight, we are in the dark now.
Great article! Thank you!