Zelensky cancels public events after White House showdown
Washington: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled several pre-arranged events during his visit after talks at the White House collapsed following a shouting match with President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance on Friday.
Zelensky cancelled an event he was addressing at the Hudson Institute, a leading Washington D.C. think-tank, as calls emerged from his supporters among American lawmakers and experts to use the event to apologise for the Oval Office slanging match and try to put the talks back on track.
The Ukrainian leaders also cancelled an event at the Ukraine House.
His interview with Fox News host Brett Baier seemed to be on, so far.
After the Oval Office exchange in which Trump told him he held no cards in the peace negotiations and that he should be more thankful and respectful of the US.
Zelensky was “kicked out” of the White House shortly after, according to Fox News, which cited unnamed officials.
A joint news conference scheduled to be addressed for the two leaders was also cancelled and so was a lunch the Americans were to host for the visiting Ukrainian delegation.
“Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
“Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”
Other Republicans also came out in support of the US President and the Vice-President.
“I have never been more proud of the President. I was very proud of J.D. Vance standing up for our country,” Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator, who has been an unstinting supporter of Ukraine’s war efforts.
“We want to be helpful. When I saw in the Oval Office it was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again. I don’t think most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go into business with the way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the President was just over the top.”