Trump and Zelensky Cancel Rare Earths Deal After Contentious Meeting in Oval Office - The World Reacts
"I think the main difference is that Ukraine wants makes peace but Trump wants to make a deal" - Ukrainian soldier
By Denise Rivette
Yesterday, February 28, President Donald Trump invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House. A meeting in the Oval Office with press access was to be followed by lunch, a joint press conference and the signing of a treaty that would provide the United States with access to Ukraine’s rich deposits of rare earths. Rare earths are a group of 17 metallic elements that are used in many existing and emerging technologies. China has by far the largest deposit and greatest production of rare earths. In addition, Greenland is considered to have some of the largest deposits of rare earth metals in the world.
There was a joking tension when the presidents had a back and forth over Trump’s claims that the United States had provided more support than Europe to Ukraine. The Kiel Institute, which is tracking support for Ukraine, calculates that between January 2022 and the end of 2024, Europe as a whole spent $138.7 billion on Ukraine. In the same period, the United States spent $119.7 billion, according to their figures. The Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group, comprised of more than 20 oversight entities from across the United States Federal Government, reports that as of December 31, 2024, only $83.4 billion of the $182.8 billion congress appropriated to support Ukraine has been disbursed. An additional $57 billion has been obligated but not disbursed.
Each president remained focused on how their own country would benefit from the treaty. The tension grew as Zelensky spoke about security guarantees and why cease fire agreements don’t work with Russia without them. As proof, Zelensky pointed to the 25 times Russia has violated cease fire agreements with Ukraine since 2014. To support his pleas for help to Trump and to demonstrate how Russian leader Vladimir Putin breaks the rules of war and international law, Zelensky provided photos of how Ukrainian civilian and military prisoners are treated by Putin. He also begged Trump to help him return the 20,000 Ukrainian children that have been kidnapped by Putin’s government, a personal mission of Zelensky’s.
Zelensky’s characterizations of Putin as the initial agressor and a war criminal who must be stopped did not sit well with Trump, but the meeting didn’t really go off the rails until Vice President JD Vance jumped in to suggest that Zelensky hadn’t thanked Trump (he thanked him at the beginning of the meeting) and the United States (there are at least 33 documented examples of him thanking the United States and its presidents) enough. Amid a barrage of questions and statements thrown rapid fire at the Ukrainian president, who was not using an interpreter and for whom English is a second language, Vance returned repeatedly to accusations of disrespect and lack of gratitude. The falsehood that the United States has provided more aid than Europe was reiterated by Vance in addition to the misinformation (that French President Emmanuel Macron corrected in a joint press conference with Trump days earlier) that Europe was going to be paid back in full for all their aid and the United States was not. Europe’s aid package to Ukraine consists of grants, guarantees and loans.
Trump ended the meeting by saying to Zelensky, “The problem is I've empowered you to be a tough guy, and I don't think you'd be a tough guy without the United States. And 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. I don't think it's going to be pretty, but you'll fight it out, but you don't have the cards, but once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position, but you're not acting at all thankful. And that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest, that's not a nice thing. All right, I think we've seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television. I will say that.”
You can watch the entire Oval Office meeting between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald HERE.
Reactions to Meeting:
White House press release with President Trump’s Truth Social post after meeting with Zelensky:
"The only obstacle to peace is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's decision to continue his war of aggression. If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Estonia's support to Ukraine remains unwavering. Time for Europe to step up." ~Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna
NPR reported that “At the Kyiv Food Market, a soldier named Denys Sokolov said, ‘I think the main difference is that Ukraine wants makes peace but Trump wants to make a deal. That's a huge difference in our politics, in our vision to how we want to end the war.’”
“The only person on the planet who is actively trying to bring an end to this conflict is named Donald Trump, the President of the United States.” ~Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R)
“Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day — when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.” ~Republican Liz Cheney
America First every single time. Putting Zelensky in his place while he disrespects the U.S. in the Oval Office is exactly what American leadership should look like. This is what We The People want to see!”~Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R)
"Trump and Vance are doing Putin's dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy." ~Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D)
"Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President @realDonaldTrump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!" ~Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
"A bad day for America's foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom." ~Representative Don Bacon (R)
"What we saw from the White House today is serious and disheartening. Ukraine still needs the US's support, and Ukraine's security and future are also important to the US and to Europe. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has strong support in Ukraine, broad support in Europe, and he has led his people through a very demanding and brutal time, under attack from Russia. That Trump accuses Zelenskiy of gambling with World War III is deeply unreasonable and a statement I distance myself from. Norway stands with Ukraine in their struggle for freedom. We hope that the Trump administration also understands the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine." ~Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr
NPR Reports: “Dmitry Medvedev, the hawkish head of Russia's Security Council, compared Zelenskyy to an ‘ungrateful pig’ who got a ‘good beat down.’ ‘It was useful but not enough,’ added Medvedev. ‘[The U.S.] needs to end military aid to the Nazi machine.’ President Vladimir Putin has claimed Russia's offensive aims to "denazify" Ukraine — whose democratically elected president is Jewish.”
FROM PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY
"Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that."
"It is very important for us that Ukraine is heard and that no one forgets about it, neither during the war nor after. It is important for people in Ukraine to know that they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country, in every corner of the world."
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE
Whatever your views are on the issues, your elected representatives won’t know where you stand unless you let them know directly. Each and every citizen is represented by the people we elect into office. They can’t represent us accurately and effectively if we don’t let them know where we stand on the issues. Below are links to the contact pages for Montana’s federal delegation. Your message is best communicated respectfully, briefly and one issue per contact.
For those outside of Montana, you can find contact information for your SENATORS HERE and for your REPRESENTATIVES HERE.
Senator Steve Daines website contact
Senator Tim Sheehy website contact
How to Show Support for Ukraine as a Private Citizen
If you would like to show support for Ukraine, Charity Navigator has “curated a list of highly rated charities providing humanitarian services in Ukraine and the surrounding region.” You can access the list and further information HERE.
You can donate through the Charity Navigator site, but before taking advantage of that convenience, it is recommended you visit the websites of the charities that interest you to get a better understanding of the scope of their services and make sure you are providing funds for the programs you support. For instance Hope for Ukraine has several different programs you can support from providing food for families to medical support to providing supplies for soldiers on the frontline.
A Poem by Eduardo Montes-Bradley
trump was a complete embarrassment on the world stage. Like the coward he is, he used Putin's talking points to try to bully Zelensky into giving into the murderous dictator who invaded his country. trump was rude and tactless, made worse by his low vocabulary. He talks like a member of a mafia family. He's the furthest thing from being a world leader.