Oh, Zelensky read the room, all right—just the wrong one. Instead of walking into the Oval Office with a serious commitment to working with President Trump, he let himself be played by anti-Trump Democrats who convinced him to torpedo a minerals deal that could have secured both Ukraine’s future and American investment. The result? A complete disaster, both for Zelensky and for Ukraine.
Before meeting Trump, Zelensky huddled with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who openly bragged on social media that he had encouraged the Ukrainian president to stand firm against what he called a “fake peace agreement.” In other words, Zelensky walked into the White House already prepared to reject a deal he had privately agreed to. And instead of handling the situation with diplomacy, he turned a critical meeting into an embarrassing public showdown.
Trump greeted Zelensky with a handshake, led him into the Oval Office, and—expecting to sign the rare-earth minerals deal—was instead met with interruptions, complaints, and an outright refusal to engage in serious diplomacy. Within minutes, the meeting fell apart, culminating in Trump booting Zelensky from the White House.
The Democrats who urged Zelensky to defy Trump got exactly what they wanted—a dramatic confrontation they could spin into another round of their favorite game: Russia, Russia, Russia. No sooner had the meeting ended than Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, and their media allies started regurgitating the same tired narrative that Trump is somehow doing “Putin’s dirty work.”
Never mind the fact that Trump has long called out European nations for their weak response to the war. Never mind that he has criticized Biden’s strategy of indefinitely funding Ukraine with no path to victory. Never mind that his minerals deal was designed to put American interests in Ukraine—giving the U.S. a stake in the country’s future while ensuring Ukraine had the resources to rebuild.
But thanks to the Democrats whispering in his ear, Zelensky blew it.
Let’s be clear: Zelensky has every right to push for a security guarantee. But demanding one in front of the press, after already being told it wasn’t part of the minerals deal, was sheer madness. And worse, his arrogance alienated the one leader who could have actually helped him.
Zelensky needs the U.S. far more than the U.S. needs Ukraine. That’s just reality. And Trump, a businessman before he was ever a politician, laid that reality out plainly: “You don’t have the cards.”
Instead of recognizing that and negotiating wisely, Zelensky let himself be used by Democrats who have no real power to help him. Europe, as Trump has pointed out time and time again, is not going to save Ukraine. And without a minerals deal, without American businesses investing in Ukraine’s recovery, without Trump’s strategic support, Zelensky just made his own situation significantly worse.
Meanwhile, Democrats and their allies are scrambling to paint Zelensky as a hero. Mark Hamill—who seems to think politics is just another Star Wars sequel—declared Zelensky “HERO vs ZERO” and called Trump’s refusal to bankroll an endless war “a day that will live in infamy.” Please.
And then there’s European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas, who suggested that “the free world needs a new leader” and that Europe will stand by Ukraine. Right. Just like they have since day one—by standing back and letting America do the heavy lifting.
