American correspondent Sky News Mark Sotun, who was in the White House, stated that "pens were on the tables" and everything was ready for the signing of the rare earth minerals agreement. However, the conversation disrupted those plans.
Roland Oliphant, senior international correspondent for The Telegraph, described the exchange between the politicians as a "diplomatic disaster." According to him, no one expected that Zelensky and Trump would raise their voices at each other in the White House.
"With us, you have the cards, and without us, you don't," – these words from Trump dissolved months and years of cautious Ukrainian diplomacy, Oliphant believes.
At the same time, he describes the current U.S. president as a "wonderful showman," and in the correspondent's opinion, it is unlikely that Trump was unaware of where his rhetoric would lead. Therefore, Oliphant suggests that it could have been an intentional trap.
According to Politico, Zelensky found himself in a trap despite initially arriving in Washington with optimism about U.S. support. After his own pre-election statements about the imminent end of the war in Ukraine, Trump faced a complex geopolitical reality. At the same time, he continued to pressure Ukraine, altering the American stance that defending Ukraine's sovereignty from Russian attacks is crucial for global security.
The publication noted that Zelensky struggled to respond to the criticisms from American politicians, who treated him "like a child," reprimanding him for "lack of gratitude" and for his strategic decision to present his position to the press.
CNN, citing Ukrainian Forum scholar Olga Tokaryuk from the British analytical center Chatham House, reports that both Trump and Di Vance resorted to a tactic of total intimidation, and this is "not diplomacy," but an attempt to "finish off the victim."
The atmosphere in the West Wing of the White House could be "cut with a knife," said Sky News correspondent David Blevins in Washington. The verbal exchange between the politicians marked a catastrophic conclusion to a week of intense diplomatic activity in the White House, he added.