Putin ‘got away without doing anything' at summit with Trump: Kurt Volker
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Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zelensky returns to site of stunning Oval Office shouting match
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky returns to the Oval Office on Monday for the first time since a spectacularly tense exchange with Donald Trump saw their talks cut short and question marks raised over future US support. At the February 28 meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky on live television, accusing him of being ungrateful for US aid provided since Russia's invasion three years prior, and pressing for quick negotiations to end the war. The hostile confrontation marked a turning point in Kyiv-Washington relations, which had been warm under former president Joe Biden, and raised fears that Trump would cut off US military support. The scene quickly devolved at the end of a long question-and-answer session with the press. Vance accused Zelensky of being "disrespectful" and displaying ingratitude for Trump's diplomatic efforts, after the Ukrainian leader expressed skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted given his repeated violations of earlier agreements. As Zelensky defended his position in his non-native English, Trump was enraged by the Ukrainian leader's suggestion that while the United States was currently far from the fighting, "you will feel it in the future" if they appeased Putin. "You don't know that. You don't know that. Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel," railed Trump, before adding: "You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now." As tempers flared, Vance demanded Zelensky thank the United States for the billions provided to Kyiv in military aid. "Have you said 'thank you' once?" he asked. When Zelensky attempted to respond, he was silenced by Trump. "No, no. You've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble," said Trump, cutting Zelensky off. The Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after, without signing a mineral rights deal that was a key reason for his visit. In the ensuing days, the United States temporarily cut off military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, heightening European fears that Trump would side with Putin in trying to end the conflict. - Shifting tides - Much water has since flowed under the bridge, however. Trump, who has in the past expressed his admiration for Putin, began to lose patience with the Russian leader, as Moscow kept up its military offensive even as US special envoy Steve Witkoff engaged in feverish diplomacy to achieve a ceasefire. In April, Trump met with Zelensky at the Vatican, and accused Putin of "tapping me along" without delivering on promises. Days later, Ukraine and the United States finally signed a minerals deal, which Trump had earlier referred to as compensation for US aid. The two leaders also met face-to-face in June on the sidelines of the NATO summit at The Hague. On Friday, Trump met with Putin in Alaska to discuss the Ukrainian conflict, promising to run any proposals by both Ukraine and its European allies before agreeing to a deal. Shortly after the Putin summit, Trump invited Zelensky to the Oval Office. Perhaps wary of the contours of the previous diplomatic dust-up, Zelensky quickly said he was "grateful for the invitation." European leaders will join Zelensky in Washington on Monday, seeking above all else to prevent another Oval Office meltdown -- but also to coordinate on the path toward peace negotiations, especially on how to prevent any future Russian invasion. On the latter front, the Trump administration says it is now open to providing Ukraine security guarantees, a shift hailed Sunday by Ukrainian and European leaders. Zelensky is expected to first meet one-on-one with Trump, before they are joined by European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, a European government source said. According to US broadcaster CNN, Zelensky's former sparring partner -- Vice President Vance -- will also be present. aha/des
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump criticizes ‘fake news,' Democrat, Zelensky in series of posts
President Trump late Sunday in a pair of posts on Truth Social ripped the media and a prominent Democrat for criticisms of his summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump met with Putin in Alaska, and will meet Monday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as he seeks to find a way to end the more than three-year war between those two countries. Media criticism of the summit has focused on the lack of clear accomplishments from the meeting, and Trump's decision to literally roll out a red carpet for the Russian leader. 'The Fake News has been saying for 3 days that I suffered a 'major defeat' by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States,' Trump wrote. 'Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention! If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was. These people are sick!' Trump then criticized Democrats and the media for wanting crime in D.C., an apparent reference to his decision to federalize the local police force and call in the National Guard to the nation's capital. Trump then turned to criticism of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who earlier on Sunday had described Trump's decision to federalize D.C. police as a 'stunt.' 'The very unattractive (both inside and out!) Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, said 'Putin got everything that he wanted.' Actually, 'nobody got anything,' too soon, but getting close. 'Murphy is a lightweight who thinks it made the Russian President look good in coming to America. Actually, it was very hard for President Putin to do so. This war can be ended, NOW, but stupid people like Chris Murphy, John Bolton, and others, make it much harder to do so,' Trump wrote, referencing his former national security adviser. Murphy on Sunday said Trump called in the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and federalized the police because he 'didn't like the fact that the walls were closing in on him, that his own base was questioning why he wouldn't release the Epstein files, why he was protecting very powerful people.' Murphy made those remarks in an interview with NBC News's Kristen Welker on 'Meet the Press.' Murphy had also criticized the summit, saying Trump was effectively elevating Putin on the global stage. Trump in a third post also criticized Zelensky, again suggesting that ending the war with Russia was all on his shoulders. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump wrote. He blamed former President Obama for Russia having taken over Crime in 2014, and appeared to blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on Ukraine's discussions about entering NATO. Russia unilaterally invaded Ukraine in 2022, after previously taking over Crimea, recognized as part of Ukraine, in 2014.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Senator Calls Trump-Putin Meeting An 'Embarrassment For The United States'
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called President Donald Trump's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'disaster,' claiming that it resulted in the Russian leader getting 'everything he wanted.' 'That meeting was a disaster. It was an embarrassment for the United States. It was a failure,' Murphy said Sunday on NBC News' 'Meet the Press.' 'Putin got everything he wanted. I mean, first of all, he wanted that photo op, right? He wanted to be absolved of his war crimes in front of the world. He was invited to the United States.' Related: Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15 for a summit on ending the war in Ukraine, but the high-stakes meeting wrapped up without the pair reaching the ceasefire Trump was seeking. Trump, who praised the meeting as a '10 out of 10,' said following the meeting that now it is 'really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done.' Zelenskyy wasn't invited to the summit. 'We have a pretty good chance of getting it done,' Trump added. Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet on Monday at the Oval Office. Trump has also discussed plans to set up a joint meeting between him, Putin and Zelensky. Meanwhile, Putin referred to the meeting as 'very useful,' but neither Trump nor Putin mentioned an end to the fighting in Ukraine. Murphy went on to tell host Kristen Welker that 'war criminals are not normally invited to the United States of America.' '[Putin] is intentionally murdering civilians, he's kidnapping children, and now he got to stand next to the President of the United States, legitimized in the view of the world,' Murphy continued. Related: Claiming that Putin 'didn't have to give up anything' during his meeting with Trump, he added, 'Nothing. Right? President Trump said he wanted a ceasefire. It appears the ceasefire wasn't even seriously discussed. And then, third, there's no consequences.' Related: Murphy continued, 'Trump said, 'If I don't get a cease fire, Putin is going to pay a price.' And then he walked out of that meeting saying, 'I didn't get a cease fire. I didn't get a peace deal, and I'm not even considering sanctions.'' The politician then pointed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments Sunday on ABC's 'This Week,' in which he admitted 'we're still a long ways off' from a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia after the meeting flopped between Trump and Putin. 'You heard Secretary Rubio downplay sanctions. And so Putin walks away with his photo op with zero commitments made and zero consequences,' Murphy told Welker. 'What a great day for Russia.' Watch Murphy's appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press' here. Related... MAGA Influencer Calls Trump Haters 'Domestic Terrorists' In Wild Social Media Post Schumer Confronts Trump For 'Selling Out Ukraine' In Fiery Post Black Mayors Of Cities Trump Decries As 'Lawless' Tout Significant Declines In Violent Crimes
