Trump – Zelensky Spat: Is the Age of Modest Pretense Gone?

The spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday stirred up a lot of mixed reactions, with some saying that it signalled a shift in global diplomacy and politics. The ‘spat’ between the two leaders, which was more of a dressing down of Zelensky by Trump, has shocked many as not only was it unexpected, but also unprecedented that one President would talk down a counterpart. In this article, we ask, is the age of modest ‘pretense’ in US and global diplomacy gone?

Why Did Trump Fight with Zelensky: The Roots of the Public Disagreements between Trump and Zelensky

Trump and Zelensky’s fight was due to a comment by VP J.D Vance that Zelensky was being “disrespectful” and not showing gratitude for US Military aid since #Ukraine was invaded by Russia. According to J.D, Zelensky should have been more respectful, and thank Trump for his ‘diplomacy’. Zelensky took particular issue with the VP’s comments that unlike Biden, who pretended to care, Trump is actually employing ‘diplomacy’ to save Zelensky’s country.

Zelensky rebutted, asking J.D, “what diplomacy are you talking about”; kicking off a shouting match between the two.

When things got heated between J.D and Zelensky, Trump jumped in and gave Zelensky a brutal dressing down saying that “you have no cards”, and essentially telling Zelensky without the US Ukraine would have been totally destroyed by now. Trump, while attacking Biden’s administration, told Zelensky that “you are a tough guy” because of us. “Yes, your people are brave” but “Obama gave you sheets, and Trump gave you javelins”.

Zelensky Stands Tall in the Face of Accusations of Ingratitude and Disrespect

When it was clear to Zelensky that it had now become an onslaught against him, he stood tall and defended his position. Essentially, he said that he is thankful to the US and that his country has tried to enter a truce with Russia in the past, only for Russia to break their part of the deal. As such, the idea that a deal could be made with Russia (and President Putin trusted to keep his end of the bargain) according to Zelensky, is something that Ukraine has seen will not happen.

No Rare-Earth Minerals for the US: US Mineral Deal with Ukraine Breaks Down

President Zelensky had been invited to the White House by Trump to sign a deal giving the US mineral rights to extract rare-earth mineral deposits in Ukraine. The expectation was that after the media briefing, the two presidents would have a cordial lunch and get the deal signed. The mineral rights deal was a deal that Trump touted as the path to a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, and peace between the two warring nations.

After the press conference went awry, however, President Zelensky was asked to leave the White House, and the deal broke down. Zelensky left the US not having signed the deal. Analysts say that the deal was too ‘ambiguous’ without Ukraine getting any actual guarantees that even after signing the deal, the US would help protect them from Putin’s offensives.

Was the Trump – Zelensky Spat Planned?

Analysts have also argued that Trump and Vance had planned to dress down Zelensky in front of the media, after initial talks indicated that Zelensky would not be signing over the mineral rights to the US without security guarantees.

Whether this is actually true or not we may never know, but Zelensky remained adamant that the US, on top of the military aid it’s been giving to Ukraine, needs to give Ukraine security guarantees in exchange for the mining rights.

What Next for the Ukraine-Russia War?

Ukraine needs US military assistance to effectively defend itself against the Russian onslaught and even after the White House debacle, Zelensky shared that he recognized that, indeed, it may be very difficult to end the war with Russia without the US.

Even so, Zelensky was put in a terrible situation, in my view, and as much as he needs Trump’s help with the war, just signing over mineral rights without actual security guarantees would not have amounted to anything.

For an end to the Russian-Ukraine war, it is crucial that the United States works with Ukraine, and the European Union, to strengthen Europe’s defense against a possible Russian military offense; against its neighbors and the continent as a whole.

In the meantime, some analysts worry that Trump, through his buddy Elon Musk, may switch off Ukraine’s access to the Starlink Satellite communications network. Starlink is crucial for Ukraine’s defense efforts, as it relays communications on what’s happening where on the battlefield, and where to attack or defend. But with Elon, dubbed ‘shadow cardinal’, at the helm of the company, Ukraine may be shut out.

Global Leaders Affirm their Support for Ukraine

After the White House spat between the two presidents, a number of global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, affirmed their support for Ukraine.

Macron, on X, reiterated that “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine”. He then went on to say that France and the entire Europe have been right to support Ukraine, as it was Putin who invaded Ukraine and started the war.

After bringing together several European leaders, I have just spoken with President @realDonaldTrump and then with President @ZelenskyyUa.

We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 17, 2025

Are We Seeing an End to Modest ‘Pretenses’ in Global Diplomacy?

Friday’s events signalled a shift in how America will be conducting its foreign policy and diplomacy, moving away from the traditional respectful dialogue to what some have called Trump’s ‘school yard bully’ diplomacy.

Unlike when the King of Jordan, President Macron, and UK PM Kier Starmer visited the WH recently and pretended to align with Trump to get him on their side, the spat with Zelensky was a stark contrast and indeed, signals of a shifting approach to negotiations and dialogue with the US.

There is an aggressor: Russia.

There is a victim: Ukraine.

We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.

By “we,” I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others.

Thank you to…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 28, 2025

Unfortunately, with Trump now being the US President, it is unlikely that things will go back to polite (somewhat pretentious), but cordial relations/discussions with US allies – and foes. America in the MAGA era, is out to get what it wants, and apparently, Trump will bully anyone in his path to attaining his aspirations and the protection of US interests.

For an increasingly populist world, this may mean that foreign leaders and presidents, such as Zelensky, may now have to ‘kiss the ring’ to get the US to help in not only securing their own future, but the future of generations to come.

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