U.S. President Donald Trump was reportedly irritated by how quickly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky found himself in the spotlight of European leaders just days after a tense exchange in the Oval Office. This was reported by Politico, citing informed sources.
According to the outlet, what particularly upset Trump was how Europe was “embracing” Zelensky merely two days after his visit to Washington. On Sunday, the Ukrainian president visited London, where he met with the King of the United Kingdom and high-ranking officials. A British official noted that Trump’s team “didn’t like how it looked” and how swiftly the narrative shifted in Kyiv’s favor.
Politico writes that the U.S. administration perceived these events as an attempt by Europe to outmaneuver Washington, which may have prompted the UK to increase pressure on Ukraine to move toward negotiations.
Further tensions, sources say, were fueled by Zelensky’s Sunday evening interview, in which he stated that a peace agreement with Russia was still “very, very far away.” Some officials believe these remarks were the final trigger that led Trump to halt U.S. military aid to Ukraine within 24 hours.
Despite efforts by France and the UK to ease tensions, relations between Trump and Zelensky remain highly strained, the report concludes.
