US President Donald Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center on Monday, the 17th of March, that his dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the Oval Office was part of a strategy aimed at putting pressure on Ukraine, reports The Kyiv Independent.
“A lot of people are being killed there and we had to get Ukraine to do the right thing. It was not an easy situation,” Trump said. “You saw just a glimpse in the Oval Office, but I think they’re doing the right thing now, and we’re trying to get a peace agreement. We want to have a ceasefire and then a peace agreement.”
Zelenskyy and Trump had a tense 45-minute press briefing in the Oval Office at the end of February, which ended in a heated argument over US aid to Ukraine and the cancellation of a planned agreement on mineral extraction. Afterwards, Trump accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting the US and wrote on Truth Social that “he can come back when he is ready for peace”.
Following the dispute, the Trump administration suspended intelligence and military assistance to Ukraine for about a week. Tensions eased when Zelenskyy apologised, promised to cooperate and reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to end the war.
Trump announced that he plans to hold a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 18th of March to discuss ending the war.
“THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA IS BAD AND IT IS BAD IN UKRAINE” SAID TRUMP.
“What is happening in Ukraine is not good, but we will see if we can get a peace agreement, a ceasefire, and I think we will. And tomorrow morning I will talk to President Putin.”
The planned phone call follows US-led talks in Saudi Arabia in which Washington proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv agreed, prompting the US to resume military and intelligence assistance.
Putin also showed interest in the ceasefire, but demanded that Ukraine stop mobilising, training troops and receiving military aid during the ceasefire, raising fears of renewed aggression.
“Many elements of a final peace agreement have already been agreed, but much remains to be done,” Trump said on social media on Monday.
Trump has indicated that some of the aspects most likely to constitute a long-term peace plan would be territorial concessions by Kiyv and control of a nuclear power plant.
Zelenskyy has consistently stated that his country’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and that Russia must return the territory it has seized. Russia seized the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and now controls parts of four eastern regions of Ukraine since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Maria Snegovaya, an expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned speaking to Reuters that Putin could pretend to agree with Trump while demanding more concessions from Ukraine.
“The worst scenario is that Putin persuades Trump to accept a future deal that benefits Russia,” she said.
Since taking office, Trump has brought the US closer to Moscow, while he has soured relations with allies by imposing tariffs and talking about annexing Canada and Greenland. While he has expressed admiration for Putin, his administration has recently signalled a tougher stance towards Russia in order to end the war.