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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States has once again drawn the international spotlight after President Donald Trump argued with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The intense dispute occurred before the scheduled signing of a mineral agreement between Ukraine and the United States at the White House on Friday, February 28, 2025, local time.
After the argument, the Ukrainian leader seemed to leave the White House empty-handed, and the planned agreement between the two nations was canceled.
The tension between Trump and Zelenskiy on Friday has raised concerns among international organizations, particularly related to Trump's future policy direction and its potential impact on the peace process in the Russia-Ukraine war.
This incident prompted a response from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday, March 1, 2025. NATO urged Zelenskiy to "find a way" to improve diplomatic relations with Trump.
As reported by Anadolu, Rutte revealed that he had called Zelenskiy twice. Rutte regretted the dispute between the two leaders and emphasized the need for them to repair their relationship.
Three years have passed since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, causing the country to lose part of its territory. However, Ukraine managed to reclaim some of it with military support from its Western allies. As cited by CNN, the United States has been the largest contributor of aid to Ukraine, amounting to $95 billion.
The Trump administration promised to end the war in Ukraine, but this effort was hindered by critical funding issues. Of this threat, Trump approached Ukraine with the mineral deal proposal. He stated that the U.S. should gain access to minerals in return for aid, but the agreement was canceled due to the dispute.
In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Trump said he wanted the U.S. to get $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and signaled Kyiv had “essentially agreed to do so.”
The bilateral agreement that was supposed to be signed was canceled due to the escalating disputes between Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance against Zelenskiy. Trump berated Zelenskiy in the Oval Office and asked him to "thank" him for the aid provided during the three-year war. Trump emphasized that without U.S. aid, Ukraine would have surely been conquered by Russia long ago.
"You're either going to make a deal, or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it's going to be pretty," Trump said.
The dispute prompted NATO to act quickly to rectify the issue. NATO stated that Zelenskiy must resolve the issue and respect Trump's decision. "It is important that President Zelenskyy finds a way to restore his relationship with the American President and with the senior American leadership team," Rutte said.
Trump's attitude toward the war in Ukraine differs significantly from that of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Since assuming leadership, Trump has shown a clear preference for Putin. This has surprised his allies in Europe and around the world.
The uncertainty of peace and the cancellation of the mineral agreement threaten Ukraine's security. In response, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a summit meeting attended by Zelenskiy and Ukraine's allies. In the meeting, Zelenskiy revealed that several European leaders have committed to providing more funds for security and forming a coalition to maintain the ceasefire.
Sita Planasari contributed to the writing of this article.
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