President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a fiery press conference on Feb. 18th in the Oval Office of the White House.
Trump and Zelenskyy had originally met to discuss a ceasefire or peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine. During this meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for the U.S. support to Ukraine during the war with Russia. During this press conference, Trump and JD Vance had reportedly made comments about Zelenskyy’s inability to speak English and his unusual style of clothing. After this fiery exchange occurred, Trump wrote many things on social media criticizing Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace” Trump wrote on social media. He said Zelenskyy had “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office” and “can come back when he is ready for Peace.” Many American citizens were alarmed by Trump’s harsh language used on social media and in the press conference.
Zelenskyy also spoke with several European leaders with many of them expressing unequivocal solidarity. In an interview the night of the press conference Zelenskyy said he believed the relation between the two countries could still be salvaged.
After the press conference a news station, The Hill, revealed that more Americans say Zelenskyy was not disrespectful to Trump in the Oval Office. More Americans than not say Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not disrespectful to President Trump during their Oval Office meeting, according to a poll. The survey economist found that 46% of U.S. adults surveyed said Zelensky wasn’t disrespectful, while 32% said he was. Meanwhile, most respondents said Trump was disrespectful to Zelensky, with 51% saying so and 29 % saying he wasn’t.
