Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 01 Mar 2025, 01:33 am Print

Russia reacts to meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump. Photo Courtesy: Screengrab from X
Russia came out in support of Donald Trump over the verbal clash he had with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and said the US President showed 'restraint' by not physically assaulting him.
"I think Zelensky's BIGGEST lie of all his lies is the White House statement that the Kiev regime was left alone in 2022, without support," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram.
"How Trump and Vance restrained themselves and didn't punch this scumbag is a miracle of endurance," she said.
Marco Rubio Seeks Apology
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should apologise for the meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House that he described as ending in a 'fiasco'.
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” Rubio told CNN.
.@SecRubio: "There was no need for [Zelenskyy] to go in there and become antagonistic ... I think he should apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was gonna end the way it did!" pic.twitter.com/LX3U7t7ueV
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 1, 2025
“When you start talking about that aggressively – and the president is a deal maker, he made deals his entire life – you’re not going to get people to the table,” Rubio said.
He said it could be perceived from Zelenskyy's behaviour that he does not want the peace deal.
“And so you start to perceive that maybe Zelenskyy doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t,” Rubio said.
White House Meeting
Minutes into the meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy broke into a verbal spat, media reports said.
Zelenskyy left the Oval Office after an angry meeting while Trump asked him to "come back when you're ready for peace".
No mineral deal was signed, said reports.
In a loud and stern voice, President Trump told Zelenskyy that you "either make a deal or we are out".
"You are in big trouble...you are not winning this," he said.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if… pic.twitter.com/CtnqXBNcW3
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 28, 2025
According to video footage of the press appearance going viral, Zelenskyy, US Vice-President JD Vance and Trump were caught in verbal exchanges.
While Vance accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful", Trump said he is "gambling with World War Three".
President Zelenskyy responded in equal measure, saying: "We are in our own country, and we have stayed strong all this time. We have even thanked you for it (your support)".
While Zelenskyy left the meeting after the heated exchange, Trump said the Ukraine president can come back to the White House “when he is ready for peace.”
The meeting devolved into a shouting match, according to CNN.
Later, in a social media statement, Trump said: “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. 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."
"He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace," the US President said.
No Mineral Deal Signed
Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC, on Friday to discuss a minerals deal for the United States as part of the ongoing negotiations for a possible truce in the Ukraine war.
However, Donald Trump and Zelenskiy did not sign a minerals deal on Friday, a White House official told Reuters.
The meeting was set up amid escalated tensions after President Trump called Zelenskyy a "dictator" and blamed him for starting the war with Russia.
However, the US President took back his words a day before the meeting and commended him for his bravery.
- European leaders back Zelenskyy over verbal spat with Trump
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Zelenskyy should apologise over White House 'fiasco'
- Marco Rubio calls Thai government's decisioon to deport Uyghurs to China as 'alarming'
- First group of Western tourists visit North Korea after vistors allowed after five years
- 'Terror' attack in Israel: Palestinian man plows car into crowd of people, 13 hurt