Trump's U-turn: After accusing Zelensky of ‘starting war', how US is using Ukraine to justify tariff on ‘friend' India
Minutes later, the meeting turned into a shouting match between Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian president emphasised the need for 'security guarantees for Ukraine' for any deal to happen.
That started the clash, with the United States accusing Ukraine of being ungrateful for American support and of 'stalling' peace talks with Russia – warning, 'You're either going to make a deal, or we're out.'
'You see the hatred he's got for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. That's tough to make a deal with that kind of hate,' Trump said as the whole world watched on LIVE television.
Accused of 'starting the war', Zelensky left and the deal, that would have given the US rights to rare earth minerals in Ukraine, was not signed that day.
Cut to July 2025 – Ukraine has now become the flashpoint in Donald Trump's trade war with India.
In a stunning shift, Donald Trump, who once pointed the finger at Zelensky for starting the Russia-Ukraine war, has now trained his guns on India – imposing 25 per cent tariffs and additional penalties for New Delhi's business ties with Moscow, accusing New Delhi of bankrolling Vladimir Putin's war machine by buying Russian oil.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have spoken over the phone, but not met since Trump returned to the White House in January, despite both leaders expressing their desire for face-to-face talks.
After one of the calls that happened in May, the US president said his call with Vladimir Putin went very well and that Moscow and Kyiv 'will immediately start negotiations' toward a ceasefire and end to the war.
As Trump sounded hopeful, the Russian president said more 'compromises' were needed.
By the end of the month, Trump – sensing no end to the Ukraine war – had started threatening sanctions on Russian products, warning Vladimir Putin that he was 'playing with fire'.
Trump even admitted that Putin was not looking to stop Russia's war against Ukraine.
'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed. I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad,' he said.
Donald Trump has often portrayed himself as a dealmaker and global peacemaker, but as Russia refused to fall in line with his expectations, the US president began to show signs of frustration.
Buoyed by his own expectations and frustrated over not being able to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end, Trump shifted blame outward.
He slapped 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and announced additional penalties for India's business ties with Russia. But Trump didn't stop there. He threatened even more tariffs for India's purchase of Russian oil, accusing the country of 'fueling' the Ukraine war.
What could be called a striking twist, Ukraine, a country Trump had once accused of 'starting the war,' is now at the centre of his trade war with India, which he has used as a geopolitical weapon to justify the tariffs on 'friend' India.
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