Trump Slams Zelensky After White House Clash Over Ukraine War

President Donald Trump tore into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday evening following their explosive Oval Office meeting, making it clear that the United States will not be manipulated into further involvement in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn before boarding Marine One, Trump summarized the disastrous meeting, saying: “I would say it didn’t work out exactly great. From his standpoint, he very much overplayed his hand. We’re looking for peace.”

According to Trump, Zelensky came to Washington looking to lock the U.S. into an even greater military commitment, rather than seeking a resolution to the war.

“I’m looking for peace,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to go into a 10-year war and play games. We want peace. And it was just my impression that if we do that, if we sign up, he’s looking for something that I’m not looking for. He’s looking to go on and fight, fight, fight.”

Trump repeatedly criticized Zelensky for making demands while holding a weak position, reminding the Ukrainian leader that the U.S. would not blindly back a war that has already cost countless lives.

“I just want to get a deal done, and if the deal happens, good,” Trump said. “But you can’t embolden somebody that does not have the cards, and all of a sudden that person says, ‘Oh, well, now I can keep fighting.’”

He made it clear that the United States under his leadership would no longer act as an open checkbook for Ukraine’s war effort. “We’re not going to keep fighting. We’re going to get the war done, or let them go and see what happens. Let them fight it out.”

Trump went a step further, saying that Zelensky is not welcome back at the White House unless he commits to peace negotiations.

“He says he wants to come back right now, but I can’t do that,” Trump declared. “They should have an immediate ceasefire. That was the other thing he didn’t want to do, a ceasefire.”

The president emphasized that he is not interested in drawn-out negotiations but wants an immediate end to the bloodshed.

“If you want to end the war, you sign up an agreement, that’s going to take a period of time. It takes time. I want it to end immediately. And I think if you had a ceasefire, it would be a ceasefire, a real one that would end it. But if he doesn’t want to do that, that’s fine.”

Trump’s stance makes it clear that his administration is prioritizing American interests, not endless foreign conflicts. Under Biden, Ukraine received over $100 billion in U.S. aid with no clear path to victory or resolution. Now, Trump is shifting the focus to peace on American terms.

If Zelensky refuses to embrace diplomacy, he may find himself without U.S. support altogether. Trump has drawn the line: America will no longer be dragged into another unwinnable war.

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