A Gift to Moscow, a Blow to Ukraine, and a Turning Point in the War

A Tense Meeting in the Oval Office

The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, 2025, was anything but amicable. The acrimonious exchange was a gift to Moscow, which has been working to build ties with Trump's new administration while trying to discredit Zelensky and undermine his legitimacy.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called the meeting "a brutal dressing down" and said Zelensky had finally been told the truth to his face. He called for military aid to Ukraine to be halted, something Moscow has long been pushing for.

Russia has long portrayed Zelensky as an unstable and self-obsessed US puppet who was used by the previous Biden administration to try to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow. Zelensky has rejected that characterisation, saying he is doing all he can to defend his country from Russia with help from Ukraine's allies.

The rapid rapprochement between Moscow and Washington has worried Ukraine and its European allies, who fear that Trump and President Vladimir Putin could cut a deal that leaves them sidelined and undermines their security.

The meltdown between Trump and Zelensky in the White House leaves the Ukrainian leader more exposed than ever in the three-year war, during which his country has relied heavily on aid and weapons supplied by Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.

Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov said the Oval Office clash was likely to accelerate the end of Zelensky's political career.

Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, said the bruising encounter had found out Zelensky and revealed him in his true colours.