Zelensky's Visit to America: Its Goals, Motives and Consequences
By: Fazil Amzaev*

On February 28, 2025, a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump took place in Washington. US Vice President J.D. Vance also took part in the talks.

The purpose of the visit was to sign an agreement on rare earth metals, but according to information from Kyiv, Zelensky was not ready to sign this agreement in the form proposed by the Americans. He insisted on the version of the document prepared by the Ukrainian side, which included security guarantees.

However, instead of a productive dialogue, the meeting turned out to be an arena of conflict, accompanied by mutual jabs and openly hostile rhetoric.

To understand the causes and consequences of what happened, it is necessary to consider the following aspects:

After returning to the Oval Office, Trump, as he had said before, decided to end the Russian-Ukrainian war at an accelerated pace.

However, it seems that being an impudent vulgar American businessman, he underestimated the depth of this problem, as well as how far the Ukrainian and Russian sides are from mutual understanding. Apparently, this concerns not only his views on the Ukrainian crisis, but also on any problem, be it relations with Canada or Mexico, claims regarding Greenland, as well as a clumsy view on the solution of the so-called Palestinian issue.

Making extremely loud statements, he has absolutely no idea how to implement what he has announced. Apparently, Trump got confused in the clothes of the US President.

For example, on February 19, Trump called Zelensky a dictator without a choice, but on February 27 he voiced his clumsy justifications, saying: "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that."

All this indicates his incompetence and unsuitability for the position he holds.

Upon coming to power, he immediately announced that the promised end to the Ukrainian crisis within 24 hours would be achieved within a few months.

He imposed his absolutely raw deal on both sides, Russia and Ukraine.

As for Russia, at the Munich Security Conference, US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg voiced US conditions that were extremely unacceptable to Russia: territorial concessions to Ukraine, limiting the number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces, and ending any alliances with Iran, North Korea, and China.

This is what caused the failure of the negotiations between the US and Russian representatives in Erriadh on 18/02/2025. Anyone who listens carefully to the final press conference of the Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov will see that the parties have come to nothing.

On February 27, Russian Presidential Press Secretary D. Peskov stated that Russia would not make territorial concessions in the negotiation process.

As for Ukraine, on February 15, 2025, it was reported that President V. Zelensky refused to sign the first version of the agreement on rare earth metals proposed by the United States. After that, various accusations and even insults rained down from Trump's mouth against the Ukrainian side and V. Zelensky personally.

Later, the media reported on the second and even third version of this agreement, which Ukraine agreed to sign. Trump's rhetoric softened, he took back his words about "dictator Zelensky", exposing himself as an empty talker.

These events preceded the scandalous meeting between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine on February 28, 2025.

Apparently, even before this meeting, Trump, realizing the impossibility of a forced ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, either in 24 hours or in a few months, decided to provoke Zelensky into a conflict in order to then place all the blame on him and get justification in front of his supporters, who are waiting for the fulfillment of one of his main election promises - to end the war in Ukraine.

It is worth noting that meetings between presidents usually take place when all the terms of the agreement have already been agreed upon. Joint press conferences are given after negotiations, and not before, as happened on February 28. In addition, such appearances before the press take place in equal numbers: the president with the president, and not the president with the president and vice president.

As is known, since the beginning of the war, Zelensky has not worn a formal suit on principle, dressing in military style. Even before the start of the press conference, when meeting Zelensky at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House, Trump, shaking his hand, made fun of his clothes, saying sarcastically: "He's dressed up so much today."

Journalist Brian Glenn, who has been called "Trump's favorite reporter" for conducting dozens of interviews with the US president and covering trials and rallies in his support, also began to question and chastise Zelensky for his presence in the Oval Office without a suit, right in front of Trump and other journalists.

All this indicates that what happened on February 28 was a clever provocation and public humiliation of the Ukrainian president, which he could not withstand.

It is worth noting here that what happened on that day, despite all the influence on these events of such personal qualities of Trump as arrogance, rudeness and vulgarity, in fact does not go beyond the three-year US policy regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Continuation of Russian aggression in Ukraine is extremely beneficial for the United States.

In relation to Russia, the US has received an unprecedented opportunity to weaken its nuclear competitor with a conventional war. In essence, stupid, short-sighted Russia treacherously invaded Ukraine in order to ultimately completely exhaust its non-nuclear military potential. Russia's advance in one whole year amounted to 50 km deep into Ukrainian territory on a front width of 60 km. For these insignificant successes, Russia pays daily with the loss of dozens of units of military equipment, as well as Ukrainian strikes on strategic objects on its territory.

This war also weakens Europe, as it has deprived it of access to cheap Russian energy resources, and also forces it to significantly increase spending on the military and Ukrainian refugees fleeing to the EU.

This war also makes Russia unwelcome to China, which desperately needs its resources. After unsuccessful attempts to offer its "Peace Plan for Ukraine", China has chosen to take a wait-and-see position and "sit by the river, waiting for the corpses of its enemies to float down it."

Therefore, the failure of Trump's attempts was quite expected, since it contradicts the strategic interests of the United States on the Eurasian continent. One can only say that Trump could have more skillfully, without sharp corners, reduced all his peace initiatives to zero, saving face both in front of his electorate and in front of the world community and politicians.

However, Trump's arrogant, vulgar cowboy character once again worked against him. In fact, this may be the only time a US president has been so humiliated in his own Oval Office.

Be that as it may, in the end, after February 28, the US received a real opportunity to leave Europe alone in the face of Russian aggression, pushing it to more active participation in this crisis, which is undoubtedly beneficial for the US.

After failed negotiations with Zelensky, Trump stated: "He (Zelensky's note) can return when he is ready for peace." And also stated: "We either end this war or let them fight and see what happens."

Naturally, a complete cessation of support for Ukraine from the US is not expected. A day before the scandalous meeting with Zelensky, Trump extended sanctions against Russia for a year. Also, along with Zelensky, a whole team of Ukrainian officials arrived in the US, including representatives of the security agencies, meetings with whom were not cancelled after the scandal in the Oval Office.

As for Europe's position, its leaders have already stood up for Zelensky in a large coalition, condemning Trump's behavior.

Europe will regard what is happening as a chance and an opportunity to seize the initiative in the Ukrainian crisis, increasing its involvement in it.

Thus, the European Union will consider providing Ukraine with a new large-scale financial aid package worth hundreds of billions of euros at an extraordinary summit on Thursday, March 6, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with La Tribune Newspaper, published on Saturday, March 1.

Thus, the situation around the Russian-Ukrainian war will continue to move in the wake of US interests.

As for the people of Ukraine, the treacherous, traitorous nature of America has once again become obvious to them, leaving their country to the mercy of Russia’s brutal aggression, making its sovereignty, people and resources a bargaining chip in achieving American strategic interests on the Eurasian continent.

* Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Ukraine