Zelenskyy's treatment during meeting with Trump 'disgusting, disrespectful,' says Ukrainian in Saskatoon
'2 bullies wouldn't let him talk,' Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Saskatoon president says after Friday meeting
A Ukrainian in Saskatoon says she's angry and disgusted by what happened at a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday morning.
Just days after the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump and Zelenskyy had an explosive showdown in the Oval Office.
In a heated confrontation, Trump and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy, accusing him of not being thankful for the support the United States has provided in the war, and calling him "disrespectful" for coming to Washington, D.C., to negotiate an agreement between the two nations with American media in the room.
The planned meeting was supposed to finalize an agreement granting the U.S. access to rare Ukrainian minerals in exchange for ongoing military support in the war against Russia. But that conversation went off the rails and ended without a deal, and Zelenskyy left the White House early.
"Talk about Americans being our neighbours, it's just disgusting, disrespectful, unbelievable," said Pat Tymchatyn, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Saskatoon in a Friday interview.
WATCH | Trump, Vance berate Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday:
Tymchatyn said as a Canadian Ukrainian who has been watching what's happening in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, the meeting was "shocking" and "shameful."
"Zelenskyy has been working very hard over his term. He's a democratically elected president and they basically ganged up on him. Two bullies wouldn't let him talk," she said.
She said she and other members of the Ukrainian community are thankful to Canada for its continuing support in Ukraine, but more needs to be done if allies like the U.S. aren't going to show up.
"The United States is not ready to actually work on behalf of Ukraine. They're working on behalf of a dictator, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. They're not working on behalf of the free world," Tymchatyn said.
"Our whole world order is falling, is collapsing."
Lee Reaney, the chief editor of Lviv Times — a Ukrainian lifestyles magazine — and a writer who has spent years covering Ukraine, hopes the agreement will still happen, and both sides will see the benefit in partnering.
"The agreement was for the Americans to get access to rare earth materials. It was a way for the Americans to make money from Ukraine and it was a way for Ukraine to show that they're willing to partner with the administration," said Reaney, who is currently based in Saskatoon after studying in the city.
He called what happened in the Oval Office Friday unprecedented.
"I've been trying to think of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, both Republican presidents, try to imagine them treating an ally, an American ally who's been invaded by an adversary of the Americans — Russia — this way, or any other president in American history," he said.
Reaney said he's been talking to people in the Ukrainian community who are stunned by the catastrophic meeting. But those in Ukraine aren't as fearful, he said.
"They're fighting a far bigger war against their worst adversary, and more frightening adversary, for the last three years," he said.
He said over the next few days, he'll be watching what the U.S. administration does and says. He'll also be closely watching a meeting that is to take place in London on Sunday, where representatives from more than a dozen European countries will gather to discuss a peace agreement for Ukraine.
While Canada has offered some support in the war, more needs to be done, said Reaney, who studied international conflict at the University of Saskatchewan.
"I find I have a responsibility to share what I've come to understand, what I've learned, and my experience with others so that they can understand what's happening," he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced support for Ukraine after Friday's meeting in a post on the social media site X, praising Ukrainians for their "courage and resilience" in a "fight for democracy, freedom and sovereignty … that matters to us all."
Trudeau said Canada "will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace."
WATCH | Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada must support Ukraine:
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With files from Alexander Panetta