Trump Goons’ Secret Scolding of Ukrainian Leader Exposed
Trump’s negotiators lectured the Ukrainian leader not to be mean to their boss.
GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s top diplomatic goons laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for daring to criticize their boss.
The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, chided Zelensky over his response to Trump’s harsh criticisms during a closed-door meeting in Oslo on Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
Trump, 80, has frequently attacked Zelensky, 48, during the war between Russia and Ukraine, but has ramped up his condemnations as of late.
The president has insisted that Zelensky be replaced as Ukraine’s peace negotiator and even as the nation’s leader, saying on Tuesday, “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
He complained that Ukraine has given the U.S. “nothing” in exchange for American assistance, and implied that Zelensky is at fault for prolonging the war started by Trump’s pal, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Trump even claimed on Monday that “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine,” and that “they haven’t been doing much,” despite Russian bombardments having escalated dramatically since last year.
Trump lashed out after Zelensky said his siding with Putin was a "historic mistake."
Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
The Ukrainian leader gently pushed back against Trump’s abrasive broadside and criticized his deal to waive sanctions and purchase diesel fuel from Russia, saying the agreement was “victory” for Putin and left the autocrat “laughing.”
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Zelensky has also accused the U.S. of delaying shipments of vital interceptor missiles and sounded the alarm over restricted access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, which is crucial for Ukrainian forces to defend against Russian drone attacks.
In Oslo, the two negotiators told the Ukrainian leader that his response to Trump’s vitriol had enraged the president, a person familiar with the exchange told the Times.
Witkoff and Kushner, who attended the meeting virtually, both complained about certain remarks Zelensky had made, the outlet reported, but the Ukrainian leader defended himself at times during the discussion. “I never said that,” he said at one point.
The two Trump goons scolded Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday.
Valentyn Ogirenko/REUTERS
However, Zelensky appeared to yield to the American pressure and offered a tame yet positive assessment of the meeting to journalists afterward, according to the Times.
“We are thankful to the American side,” he said, referring to the U.S. decision to resume intelligence aid to Ukraine.
He said he had a “very constructive dialogue” with Witkoff and Kushner and that a conversation he had with Secretary of State Marco Rubio before his arrival in Oslo produced “positive signals from the American side.”
“But,” he said, “it was very constructive between us because all of us want peace: Ukraine, Europe, United States.”
Zelensky was joined by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Oslo.
Cornelius Poppe/via REUTERS
Zelensky added that he hopes Ukraine’s access to Starlink would be restored “maybe in 48 hours,” according to The Hill.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.
Witkoff, 69, and Kushner, 45, have been Trump’s go-to goons for international diplomacy, even though his son-in-law isn’t a government official.
Witkoff raised eyebrows during a face-to-face meeting with Putin, 74, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday, where he lauded the accused war criminal as a “humanitarian.”
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,” he told Putin. “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that. I commend you, and I thank you again.”
Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has been responsible for approximately 700,000 deaths, including at least 17,000 Ukrainian civilians, 150,000 Ukrainian military personnel, and more than 500,000 Russian soldiers.
He is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including the unlawful transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian territory into Russia.
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