CNN’s Kyiv correspondent shared Ukrainian concerns of where the war will go next after an explosive White House brawl between the American and Ukrainian presidents.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and JD Vance cut their conversation short after the trio got into a shouting match about the war on Friday—leaving the relationship between the two countries rockier than it has ever been.
CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, currently reporting live from Kyiv, Ukraine, told Dana Bash on air that Ukrainians were hoping for a meeting that would repair the relationship between the leaders. Instead, he called it an “extraordinary collapse.”
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“For Ukrainians, this is a matter of life and death, where they’ve lost friends,” Walsh said. “Zelensky’s emotions there, portraying the frustration of a nation here, frankly, who don’t like the way in which the conflict is being misrepresented.”
The meeting was meant to secure a valuable minerals deal for the United States in exchange for its help in the war. According to reports, the agreement was not signed and a press conference scheduled to follow the signing was canceled.
“Just one thing people should remember since President Donald Trump called Zelensky falsely a dictator,” Walsh continued, “47 Ukrainians have lost their lives in that 10-day period from Russian strikes.”
Days after Trump made the “dictator” comment, he walked it back, saying he couldn’t believe he had said that.
In the meeting, Zelensky told Vance a long list of examples where Russia’s Vladimir Putin has taken over Ukrainian land, while breaking past cease-fires and not doing prisoner exchanges. In response, Vance called Zelensky “disrespectful.”
Trump then joined in after Zelensky suggested that the United States would soon feel the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“It was said to Zelensky that he was not being thankful enough,” Walsh said. “That is exceptionally damaging for this relationship. And I think leaves many people here very concerned about where this war goes next.”
After the extremely tense meeting, Trump posted to Truth Social that Zelensky “can come back when he is ready for Peace,” and that he had disrespected the United States “in its cherished Oval Office.”
