U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) said President Donald Trump’s actions during a “disastrous” meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House Friday, Feb. 28, were “disgraceful, and unbecoming.”
Zelensky came to Washington to sign a deal granting the U.S. limited access to Ukraine’s natural resources. It is believed that Zelensky saw this as a way to get the U.S. to bolster Ukraine’s security.
During the meeting, Vice President J.D. Vance chided Zelensky saying he hadn’t thanked the U.S. for its past support, which Zelensky said was not true, and President Trump said Zelensky needed to make a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine because he had “no cards to play.”
In response to the meeting, Rep. Kelly said:
“President Trump has long been (Russian President) Vladimir Putin’s puppet – and he just showed the world how he’d dance on Putin’s strings in the Oval Office. His baseless accusations against a war-time leader were disgraceful, outrageous and unbecoming of a U.S. President. President Zelensky is a hero to his country and democracy worldwide, and I know my Ukrainian grandmother and ancestors are rolling in their graves after how he was treated.
“Next week, President Trump will address a joint session of Congress, where I expect him to point fingers at anyone but himself for the failed minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine. The American people, however, cannot be scammed after we saw him throw a televised temper tantrum. Trump has made our country a laughingstock on the world stage – and he only has himself to blame.”
