An altercation between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office has led to White House announcements that the US will cut off further aid to Kyiv, with Trump’s team appearing to continue its recent campaign to slam Zelensky.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was in the Oval Office during the confrontation between Trump and Zelensky on Friday, said President Donald Trump was “not weighing in on Ukrainian politics” and did not want the Ukrainian president to resign.
However, Lutnick condemned Zelensky for his ungrateful attitude toward the United States, which had supplied Ukraine with the most military and financial aid, calling him a “troublemaker.”
You’ve got to say, ‘We love America, we appreciate America, we want you by our side, and if you think we should have peace, we should have peace. That’s not a peacemaker. That’s a troublemaker.
Lutnick also claimed that Trump remained committed to brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia and “beat both sides down to get them to the [negotiating] table.”
Meanwhile, Head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk called Zelensky “evil” for promoting a “forever war” with Russia.
Zelensky wants a forever war, a never-ending graft meat grinder. This is evil.
Musk responded to Trump’s Truth Social post in which he criticised Zelensky for saying the end of the war with Russia was “still very, very far away.” In another post, the SpaceX chief and senior advisor to the US president said Zelensky “wants a forever war” because otherwise he would “lose his spotlight on the international stage.”
Trump, Vance on aid to Ukraine
In addition to criticising Zelensky, Donald Trump also lashed out at Europe for spending more on Russian oil than on helping Ukraine. The US leader’s statements followed calls by European leaders for the US to do more to help Kyiv.
Europe has spent more money buying Russian Oil and Gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine —BY FAR!
At the same time, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump’s decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine put more pressure on European allies led by the UK and France.
By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has kicked the door wide open for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.
Europe is rushing to increase its own military spending and provide alternative support for Kyiv, including a plan to deploy troops on the ground to support any ceasefire, although European leaders say they still need some form of US support.
In an interview with Fox News, US Vice President JD Vance urged Zelensky to accept the rare earths deal.
If you want real security guarantees, […] the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.
The White House also did not specify whether the pause in aid would stop the supply of ammunition for weapons systems already delivered, and whether the USA would still share intelligence information with Ukraine on target identification and missile launches.
