President Donald Trump‘s White House clash with Volodymyr Zelensky in which he accused the Ukrainian president of risking World War III has faced a backlash.
Trump’s comments to Zelensky on Friday, in which he said that the Ukrainian leader was “gambling with World War III,” prompted a response of support for Kyiv from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron said Vladimir Putin posed the greatest risk of such a conflict in a sentiment echoed by Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik, who told Newsweek on Saturday that the White House’s appeasement of the Russian president posed a bigger risk to global security. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
The heated exchange between Zelensky and Trump risks Ukraine’s ability to defend itself if the U.S. ends military support. It has also prompted speculation it could not just reward Putin for his aggression but embolden other autocratic leaders.
What To Know
Zelensky’s meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance was supposed to herald a deal between Kyiv and the U.S. over Ukrainian critical minerals.
But it descended into a clash which saw the U.S. president accuse the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III,” after Zelensky mentioned Russia’s violations of previous ceasefire deals.
But in comments which follow his warmer White House meeting with Trump, Macron told Portuguese media “if anyone is gambling with World War III, his name is Vladimir Putin” as the French president called for the U.S. to “stand by its history and its principles.”
Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and leader of the opposition Holos party, posted on X that “it breaks our hearts that our allies still don’t see that the only one gambling with World War III is Putin.”
She told Newsweek on Saturday that as Putin shows no signs ending the war, the White House looking to negotiate with the aggressor signals to Russia and other dictatorships that they can act with impunity.
If Ukraine were pressured into a “shameful” peace deal this will embolden countries like Russia, as well as China and North Korea, to continue manufacturing weapons and working together, which pose the risk of a “bigger and more brutal war,” Rudik added.
What People Are Saying
French President Emmanuel Macron told Portuguese media: “If anyone is gambling with World War III, his name is Vladimir Putin.”
Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik told Newsweek: “When Putin shows absolutely zero signs of ending the war.. the illusion that the White House has (with its) willingness to negotiate with the aggressor, is showing Russia and other dictatorships they can do whatever they want and have a chance to get away with it.”
She added: “This is why we think that the appetite of the aggressors will just grow.”
What Happens Next
Zelensky said on X Kyiv was very grateful for American support and that Trump’s support was “crucial” in a post which showed a screengrab of his interview with Fox News in which he insisted that his relationship with Trump can be salvaged.
Zelensky has suggested there remains the chance of a minerals deal and there will be a clearer idea of how Europe will react to the spat when its leaders meet in Lisbon for a Ukraine summit on Sunday.
The post Donald Trump Faces Backlash for World War III Warning appeared first on Newsweek.
