The fiery altercation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House was shocking but not entirely unexpected, analysts said, with the way forward for Kyiv looking increasingly uncertain.
Trump has refused to say if he would provide any security guarantees for peace, insisting Putin “respects” him enough not to break any deal.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group (ICG), said Friday’s meeting was always likely to be tense. “The performance by the President and Vice President in the Oval Office was unprecedented, but not altogether surprising given President Trump’s well-known feelings about US military support to Ukraine and the narrative about Russia’s war on Ukraine which he has promoted,” he said.
When asked, Trump and those in his administration have repeatedly refused to place responsibility on Moscow for starting the war.
