‘You have to be thankful, you don’t have the cards, you are buried there…’: Trump takes potshots at Zelenskyy in explosive Oval Office interaction

WASHINGTON, DC: US President Donald Trump on Friday used some strong words during media interaction with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling the visiting leader that that he “does not have the cards” and is not “acting thankful” for the support United States has provided to Ukraine in its war with Russia which began in February 2022.

The two leaders had an exchange in an explosive press conference with the Ukraine President emphasising the need of security guarantees and noting that the Russian President Vladimir Putin had continued with his actions against his country even during Trump’s first term as President.

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US Vice President JD Vance also expressed his disapproval of Zelenskyy’s remarks, saying it is “disrespectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country.”

Trump emphasised the need of deal to bring peace and prevent killings and told Zelenskyy “if you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks”.

He (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) might have broken deals with Obama and Bush and he might have broken them with Biden…But he didn’t break them with me. He wants to make a deal. I don’t know if you can make a deal. The problem is I have empowered you to be a tough guy, and I don’t think you would a tough guy without the United States…You are either going to make a deal or we’re out and if we are out, you will fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty…But you don’t have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you are in a much better position. But you’re not acting at all thankful and that’s not a nice thing,” Trump said.

“You (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. You are buried there. People are dying. You are running low on soldiers…Then you tell us. I don’t want to cease fire…If you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you to take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed…I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets…You got to be more thankful because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards,” Trump added.

Trump said Zelenskyy is in no position to dictate what he feels and said the Ukraine leader was “gambling with the lives of millions of people”

“Don’t tell us what we are going to feel. We are trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel…You are in no position to dictate what we are going to feel…We are going to feel very good and very strong…You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position…You don’t have the cards right now…You are gambling with the lives of millions of people. You are gambling with World War Three and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country,” Trump said.

“You have done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble…You are not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay, because of us… We gave you, through this stupid president, USD 350 billion. We gave you military equipment, and your men are brave, but they had to use our military…If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks,” he added.

Zelenskyy said the Russian President Vladimir Putin “occupied our big parts of Ukraine”. “During 2014, nobody stopped him (Russian President Vladimir Putin). He just occupied and took. He killed people. In 2019, I signed a deal with him for a ceasefire.He broke the ceasefire, killed our people and did not exchange the prisoners. What kind of diplomacy are you speaking about?”

Responding to him, US Vice President Vance said they are talking about the kind of diplomacy that is going to end the destruction of our country.

“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the frontlines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the US President Trump…I have actually watched and seen the stories and I know what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propagated tour, Mr President…It is disrespectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country,” he said.

Trump said he is not aligned with Putin but wants a peace deal.

“If I did not align myself with both of them, you are never going to have a deal…I am not aligned with Putin. I am not aligned with anybody, I am aligned with the United States of America and for the good of the world…The hatred that he (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) has got for Putin is very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate…If you want me to be tough, I can be tougher than any human being you have ever seen,” he said. (ANI)