The world watched as US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in the Oval Office. The peace agreement has fallen apart after this meeting. The bitterness between Trump and Zelensky has been going on since 2019, when Trump faced his first impeachment.
Trump asked Zelensky to investigate former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for possible corruption during a phone call in July 2019. Trump halted aid to Ukraine but later released it.
Trump’s allegations focused on Hunter Biden, who was appointed director of Ukrainian gas company Burisma without any experience. Biden had fired a prosecutor investigating Burisma. Following claims by a whistleblower, Democrats accused Trump of inciting foreign interference in US elections. Trump was impeached, but acquitted in a Senate trial.
After Trump’s defeat in 2020, Zelensky got into trouble. Trump resented Zelensky for not refuting the allegations of pressuring him. After Biden became president, Zelensky forged a close relationship with him and received US aid.
Biden further isolated Russia internationally, imposing economic sanctions on Russia. Republicans accused Zelensky of colluding with Biden. Trump questioned Kiev’s ability to act despite US support, causing a rift in the political sphere.
Zelensky accused Trump of “living in a world of misinformation.” The US joined Russia in voting at the UN General Assembly against a resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky opposed the meeting to end the war between Russia and America, which angered Trump. European leaders tried to act as a bridge, but they were not successful. Zelensky does not trust Putin, while Trump expressed trust in Putin.