On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got the meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that he had been hoping for. It was an opportunity to sign their agreement on minerals and, more importantly, to improve relations and heal their recent fight.
Instead, another fight erupted (you can see the whole discussion below).
Much has been written on the tone of what was said by both sides, but not enough attention has been paid to the content of what was said.
Much of what Trump and Vance said publicly had been said privately before. This was not the first time the U.S. or its allies have accused Zelensky of always asking for more without expressing gratitude. Vance pressed Zelensky that he “should be thanking the president.” In July 2023, then British defence secretary Ben Wallace said that the U.S. and UK “want to see a bit of gratitude.” And he said that he had previously told Ukraine, “when I drove 11 hours to be given a list, that I’m not like Amazon.” Then U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that “the American people do deserve a degree of gratitude.”
The complaint is not entirely fair. It is cruel to berate a country being defeated in war for asking for what you promised them if they would continue fighting that war. In the first weeks of the war, Zelensky was exploring a negotiated peace with Russia when the U.S. and UK discouraged him from following that path and promised whatever aid he needed for as long as he needed it if he would abandon negotiating with Russia for fighting with them. If you don’t want to be treated like Amazon, you shouldn’t advertise that you provide services like Amazon.
Hellbound and Down 