Kellogg: Zelenskyy “learned his lesson” that Trump “completely different” from Biden

President Trump’s special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, claims he tried to prepare Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his White House meeting with Donald Trump on 28 February, but Zelenskyy “made a mistake” by “playing to the audience” during their encounter.

The meeting, which was intended to discuss continued US support for Ukraine and conclude with the signing of a minerals agreement, ended abruptly with Trump asking Zelenskyy to leave the White House.

Following the dispute, the US President halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine to pressure it into peace negotiations with Russia on Trump’s terms, which include territorial concessions for a swift end to the war. Zelenskyy, however, sought strong security guarantees against future Russian aggression. The military aid and intelligence sharing was later resumed after Ukraine agreed to a temporary ceasefire. 

In an interview with ABC News, Kellogg was asked how Trump and Zelenskyy managed to have a “measured and balanced” phone conversation following their public disagreement at the Oval Office.

According to Kellogg, Zelenskyy “realized he was dealing with a completely different politician and leader” in the Oval Office.

The special representative said he had warned the Ukrainian leader about potential communication pitfalls before his White House visit.

“We said early that morning at the Hay Adams Hotel – I was there with 13 other senators – we said, ‘Okay, look, we’re gonna walk you through what it looks like when you come into the Oval Office so you’re not surprised by it. And understand that President Trump is significantly different than Joe Biden,” Kellogg explained.

Kellogg noted that everything proceeded smoothly until the press arrived, at which point the situation changed dramatically as if someone had flipped a switch.

“He was starting to play to the audience – we had forewarned him that morning, ‘Don’t go there’ – and he was playing to the press when they came in. And I said, ‘Oh, we’re going down a bad path with President Trump.’ And that’s what happened,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg believed Zelenskyy had learned his lesson. Subsequently, everyone agreed to reset the situation and try a different approach.

The special representative also stated that the Ukrainian leader, not Trump, requested their recent phone conversation, which the US President “graciously” agreed to.

Oval Office dispute

On 28 February, a disagreement erupted during the meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Vance stated that the war between Russia and Ukraine needed to be resolved through diplomacy.

Zelenskyy warned that if a poor agreement were signed between Russia and Ukraine, the United States would “feel it.” Vance and Trump objected to this statement, responding that they would “be fine” and adding that Zelenskyy had no right to impose his views.

The Ukrainian President left the White House earlier than scheduled, and the minerals agreement remained unsigned.

Afterward, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy was “not ready for peace” but added that he “could return” when he changed his mind.

Meanwhile, several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, sided with Zelenskyy.