Zelenskyy made two mistakes, says American political scientist on Oval Office dispute

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"Regarding what happened yesterday, February 28, in the Oval Office, I have my own interpretation. Zelenskyy made two mistakes. First, he spoke in English, which he shouldn’t have done. His English is good, but far from perfect, so he couldn’t express various nuances. Second, Zelenskyy didn’t understand, or perhaps wasn’t told, that this was a press conference at the White House, where the main star is Trump. In other words, it was an opportunity for Trump to show the world that he is genius, and everyone should be grateful to him and God for his brilliance," commented the American political scientist.

According to him, Zelenskyy approached this meeting not as a press conference meant to glorify Trump but as a serious discussion about Ukraine’s future, the war, and Putin — and this, of course, didn’t suit either Vance or Trump.

"Vance and Trump behaved like bullies. It seems that Trump was improvising, and Vance, when he asked his first questions to Zelenskyy, clearly wanted to provoke him. It was a bit of a gangster, mafia-like tactic. And Trump was improvising because he felt offended, as he expected Zelenskyy to come on his knees and thank him, but instead, the Ukrainian president started talking about the war. This didn’t fit Trump’s script, so he became confused and started making offensive remarks, demanding gratitude from Zelenskyy. This is nonsense," summarized Oleksandr Motyl.

• On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for a working visit. During the press conference, a dispute arose between Trump, Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President Jay D. Vance.
• It was later revealed that the joint press conference of Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was canceled following the argument.
• After the quarrel at the White House, European leaders and U.S. politicians began expressing support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine. Trump believes that the President of Ukraine "is not ready for peace."