The conflict between Zelensky and Trump: a coincidence or a planned scenario?

On February 28, a meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vice President Jay Dee Vance ended in a diplomatic row.

Trump accused Zelensky of not being ready for peace talks with Russia, and Vance of disrespecting the United States. Because of this disagreement, the parties did not sign an agreement on mineral resources in Ukraine.

Meduza gathered the opinions of a number of experts to find out who started the conflict, and whether this was a random situation or a pre-planned scenario.

Experts' view: this is no coincidence

Most experts support the view that this scandal was planned and largely orchestrated by Trump and Vance.

🔹 Sam Green (King's College London, Institute of Russian Studies)
"This is no coincidence. Since Munich, Trump's entourage has been talking about how to trap Ukraine. If a real peace deal cannot be reached, someone needs to be blamed. This blame will most likely be the Ukrainians."

🔹 Phillips O'Brien (University of St. Andrews, Scotland)
"Trump tried to pressure Zelensky to sign a peace deal on terms favorable to Putin. Zelensky refused. As a result, Trump openly insisted that Ukraine should remain silent and accept his terms."

🔹 David Remnick (Editor-in-Chief of The New Yorker, Journalist)
"Heads of state don't do this on their own. The Vice President demanded that Zelensky express his gratitude. This was an excuse for a disgusting demonstration."

A script to discredit Zelensky?

🔹 Kerrin Wasby Anderson (Professor of Communication Studies, University of Colorado)
"Trump organized the meeting with Zelensky to discredit him and manipulate him from a position of power. It can be compared to the actions of mafia bosses in the movies."

🔹 James Landale (BBC Diplomatic Correspondent)
"Vice President Vance's aggressive attitude towards Zelensky demonstrates that he has taken on a more aggressive and assertive role in the Trump administration. This is unusual in a diplomatic meeting."

🔹 Gretchen Carlson (journalist, former Fox News host)
"Even Trump himself confirmed that this meeting turned into a show. It was a planned scenario."

Opposition: Zelensky acted incorrectly

However, some experts argue that the scandal was also connected with Zelensky's actions.

🔹 Nigel Farage (British MP)
"If I came to the White House, I would come wearing a suit and trousers and clean shoes. Zelensky acted incorrectly, he showed the wrong approach, emphasizing what would happen if they did not support the Americans."

🔹 Jack Keane (retired US Army general)
"Zelensky acted incorrectly in the negotiations. He tried to get ahead of the pack through aggressive actions, which angered Trump and Vance."

🔹 Oleksiy Honcharenko (Ukrainian MP)
"Zelensky should not have entered into an argument. He should have clearly shown that he wants to continue dialogue and cooperation with the United States."

The conflict has clarified the contradictions of the parties

Some experts argue that the conflict itself has revealed the real contradictions between the White House and Kiev.

🔹 Alexander Baunov (researcher at the Carnegie Center in Berlin)
"This was not a pre-prepared ambush, but the emergence of real political contradictions."

🔹 Dmitry Kolezev (Russian journalist)
"Zelensky could have been more cautious in his approach to the accusations of Trump and Vance. If he had responded to criticism patiently, he could have achieved a beneficial result for himself."

🔹 Kemi Badenough (Leader of the British Conservative Party)
"Zelensky is a hero, but he should have been more careful in his diplomatic dialogue. Both sides have allowed themselves to be misunderstood."

The scandal between Zelensky and Trump is an indication that serious changes have begun in relations between Ukraine and the United States.

On the one hand, this scandal may have been a planned event to diplomatically discredit Zelensky. On the other hand, Zelensky also reacted incorrectly to US political processes.

It is clear that the Trump administration intends to force Kiev to negotiate with Russia more quickly. This could pose very serious geopolitical challenges for Ukraine.

Therefore, in the future, Zelensky and the Ukrainian leadership will need to think about acting more carefully and strategically in their diplomatic approach. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”