AFP,
Washington
The fiery altercation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday was shocking but not entirely unexpected, analysts say, with the way forward for Kyiv looking increasingly uncertain.
US President Trump has long been a critic of the United States’s billions in aid for Ukraine after Russia invaded it in February 2022, and had promised -- without providing details -- to end the war soon after coming to office.
On February 12, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, appearing to start peace negotiations without involving Ukraine -- a move that angered Kyiv and shocked European capitals.
Trump, however, has refused to say if he would provide such guarantees, insisting Putin “respects” him enough not to break any deal.
On Friday, tensions erupted after Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, accused Zelensky of not being “thankful” enough for US support.
“He can come back when he is ready for peace,” said Trump after the meeting.
When asked, Trump and those in his administration have repeatedly refused to place responsibility on Moscow for starting the war.
On Friday, Trump appeared to imply that he was not criticising Putin because negotiations were ongoing.
Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AFP there was a long list of US actions under Trump that indicated such a rupture was on the horizon.
What comes next is unclear, but it could augur badly for Ukraine, said Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group (ICG).
“There are rumours from the administration that it may curtail arms shipments to Ukraine currently in the pipeline under presidential drawdown authority,” he said.
Those arms shipments were approved by former US president Joe Biden as he was leaving office, in what appeared an attempt to cement billions in additional aid before Trump took office.
Speaking to Fox News after the tense White House meeting, Zelensky conceded it would be “difficult” for Ukraine to hold off invading Russian forces without US support.