Trump and Zelensky clash over peace negotiations... summit ends in 'no deal' disaster

US-Ukraine summit breaks down and ends early

Zelensky demands "security guarantees"... Trump: "If no agreement, US will withdraw"

Trump even criticizes Zelensky for being "rude"... Zelensky leaves empty-handed

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House on the 28th (local time) for a summit, but they clashed publicly over Ukraine peace negotiations.

President Zelensky, who visited the U.S. to sign a minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine, argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be trusted based on past examples and demanded security guarantees from the U.S. However, President Trump repeatedly expressed his trust in President Putin.

Eventually, the summit ended early without agreements, including the 'minerals agreement' that was only pending signature. The meeting, which was a critical juncture in Trump's diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war, concluded as a 'no deal' without even finalizing the minerals agreement.

In his opening remarks at the summit, President Zelensky said regarding the Ukraine peace negotiations being led by President Trump and Russian President Putin, "Putin has broken his signature 25 times," adding, "We cannot accept a simple ceasefire negotiation. Without security guarantees, it will not work."

He pointed out again that despite agreements signed after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, President Putin launched a full-scale war in 2022. President Zelensky said, "We signed a ceasefire agreement and everyone told us 'he won't come back,' but he violated the agreement," adding, "He killed our people and people continue to die."

At the beginning of his remarks, President Zelensky also said about the minerals agreement, "I hope it will be the first document that practically guarantees security for Ukraine." He then called Putin "a murderer and terrorist" and stressed that "no concessions should be made to a murderer regarding our territory."

When President Zelensky repeatedly raised issues such as security guarantees, President Trump criticized him, saying, "You are not in a good position. You put yourself in such a bad position."

He continued, "You are gambling with millions of lives and World War III," adding, "Your country has big problems and you are not winning."

Referring to U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, President Trump said, "If it weren't for U.S. support, you would have lost in two weeks," adding, "You should be grateful."

Regarding the peace agreement, he raised his voice and flushed as he said, "You have a good opportunity to get out of it (the war)," adding, "Without us, you have no cards (to end the war). Either negotiate or we will pull out."

During this process, he even told President Zelensky that he was being "rude."

When asked how he could trust that President Putin would not violate the agreement, President Trump reaffirmed his existing position that Putin would keep his promise, saying, "He doesn't respect Obama and Biden, but he respects me."

Vice President J.D. Vance also joined in, saying, "It's rude to come to the White House and try to debate that issue in front of the American press," adding, "You should thank President Trump."

He then asked, "Have you ever said thank you?" and said, "Didn't you also go to Pennsylvania for the opposition (Democratic) campaign?"

After exchanging heated words during the approximately 50-minute public opening remarks, Presidents Trump and Zelensky dismissed the reporters at the scene. President Trump said, "I think we've seen enough," as he ended the public event.

Presidents Trump and Zelensky were scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting and then a joint press conference at around 1 p.m., but the overall schedule was expected to be delayed as the opening remarks ran long.

However, at around 1:16 p.m., President Trump posted on his social media, saying, "Zelensky is not ready for peace," adding, "He can come back when he is ready for peace."

President Zelensky left the White House earlier than scheduled at around 1:40 p.m. President Zelensky had a stern expression and did not answer questions from the press.

Fox News reported that President Trump had asked President Zelensky to leave. As the summit between Presidents Trump and Zelensky ended disastrously, the two leaders did not proceed with the minerals agreement signing ceremony and joint press conference scheduled for that afternoon.

Jung-sam Ko, Hankyung.com reporter jsk@hankyung.com