Former British Ambassador to Ukraine Simon Smith believes President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “set up” by the White House team during a controversial meeting with Donald Trump and JD Vance on 28 February, according to comments made to Sky News.
“Zelenskyy has taken a lot of punishment and has gone through a lot with heroic resilience,” Smith told Sky News. “To be subjected to this sort of torture in the White House session was quite astonishing.”
Smith expressed concern about how the Ukrainian leader appeared isolated during the encounter. “He looked very much on his own while the White House team piled into him,” he said.
Tensions reportedly stem from Zelenskyy’s resistance to Trump’s plans for resolving the war. “Trump has been keen to move fast on the war and Zelenskyy is infuriating him by raising objections to that plan – objections that are entirely reasonable,” Smith stated.
Smith voiced alarm about Trump’s approach to international relationships. “He has piled all the pressure on Ukraine and subjected European allies to a lot of pressure and Putin appears to have suffered no pressure whatsoever,” he said.
The ambassador added: “There is a really worrying question here about where the US is going under Trump on this issue.”
Following the incident, Trump claimed Zelenskyy wants to continue fighting and refuses to pursue a peace agreement.
Zelenskyy thanked American people for the support in X. “Thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you President Trump, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.“
“I think this kind of spat is not good for both sides,” Zelenskyy told in an interview for Fox News after the meeting. He also defended his position, saying Ukraine is “ready for peace but we need to be in a good position.”
“We want peace… that’s why I visited President Trump,” the Ukrainian leader explained. He expressed hope that Trump would show stronger support for Ukraine rather than positioning himself as a mediator in the war.
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