Trump Betrays Ukraine in White House Ambush of Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, where they ambushed him with a barrage of criticism and Russian propaganda. The meeting was unusual in that it was held in front of reporters, including one from Russian state media, but excluded those from the Associated Press and Reuters. Trump and Vance pushed Zelenskyy to accept a ceasefire and sign over rights to Ukrainian rare-earth minerals without security guarantees, which Zelenskyy refused. Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for US support, despite Zelenskyy's previous expressions of gratitude. The meeting was seen as a culmination of a weeks-long campaign by Trump to undermine the US-Ukraine bilateral relationship. This incident is linked to a previous attempt by Trump to force Zelenskyy to investigate Hunter Biden in 2019, which led to Trump's first impeachment. Trump's actions are believed to be motivated by a desire for personal retribution against Zelenskyy for not helping him smear Joe Biden in 2019. The meeting has been characterized as a "mob hit" and a betrayal of a key US ally that has lost hundreds of thousands of people fighting off a Russian invasion. Trump's actions are seen as a precursor to the US abandoning its support for Ukraine. The incident has sparked widespread criticism, with many viewing it as a shocking display of Trump's willingness to prioritize his personal interests over US foreign policy.