Trump admits that the dispute with Zelenskyy during his visit to the US was a planned pressure on Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the United States, photo: rfi.fr

US President Donald Trump has said that his argument with Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian president's visit to the Oval Office was part of a strategy to put pressure on Ukraine. He also claims that the United States' decision to stop supplying weapons did not affect the Ukrainian army.

He said this while speaking to journalists on 17 March.

«We had to force Ukraine to do the right thing. It was not an easy situation. You saw a little scene in the Oval Office, but I think they are doing the right thing now, and we are trying to reach a peace agreement, to reach a ceasefire, and then a peace agreement,» Donald Trump said.

He also noted that many people are dying in the war in Ukraine and expressed his belief that he was doing the right thing.

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In addition, when asked about the cessation of arms and intelligence supplies to Ukraine, Donald Trump said that this decision had no consequences for the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region of Russia.

«No, no, not at all. Quite the contrary, I think it was appreciated and we have to understand, and you have to understand, that if I see someone doing something bad that's going to lead to a lot of deaths, the only reason I intervene is because of humanity. I intervene for the sake of humanity, because a lot of people are dying there,» Donald Trump concluded.

Dispute in the Oval Office

As a reminder, the meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in the White House on Friday, 28 February, was ended early.

According to CNN sources, after the public part of the conversation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended, the American president and his advisers went into a separate room. It was then that Donald Trump finally decided that Volodymyr Zelenskyy «was not in the right place to negotiate», and instructed Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to convey the message that the Ukrainian president should leave.

In turn, after the failure to sign the US subsoil deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States, President Trump and Congress.

In an interview with Fox News, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that such disputes are not good for both sides, but the President of Ukraine cannot «change our Ukrainian attitude towards the Russians» and does not want them to continue killing Ukrainians.

A number of European leaders, as well as American politicians, have expressed support for Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Ukrainians and Zelensky on the social media platform X with the following words: «Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian friends, you are not alone».

French President Emmanuel Macron also said that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is a state that has been aggressed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also expressed support for Kyiv, writing: «Ukraine, Spain stands with you». President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addressed Volodymyr with the following words: «Be strong, be brave, be fearless».

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said after the argument in the White House that it was time for Europe to unite around Ukraine and strengthen its defence without illusions about «Big Brother».

In turn, the leader of the «Servant of the People» faction, David Arakhamiia , supported President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the White House dispute and stressed that the head of state wanted to put an end to the war.

After a spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump ordered the National Security Staff to check whether Washington could completely or temporarily stop supplying weapons to Ukraine.