Kathmandu. It has been exactly three years since the Russia-Ukraine war began. The United States, which has been providing armed assistance for three years, has taken the opposite course, saying that the war should end. Accordingly, US President Donald Trump has started separate discussions and proposals with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine, but in the meantime, the heated talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday night have become very famous.
The war between the two countries began on February 24, 2022, after Russia invaded Ukrainian territory. The bitter relationship between the two countries, which has increased since 2014, turned into a face-to-face war in 2022.
During the three years of direct war, Ukraine suffered huge losses of life and property on its territory. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 41,783 people have died in Ukraine during this period. More than four million people from Ukraine have fled to other countries as refugees. Many soldiers have also lost their lives on the Russian side.
Nepalese citizens who illegally reached Russia and joined the army there have also lost their lives. The war between the two countries has affected the oil and food export and supply markets in the world market, including Nepal. In the meantime, there have been ceasefire initiatives between the two countries, but the ceasefire could not take a long-term form due to the mutual stance of the two countries.
The first ceasefire initiative was taken four months after the war between the two countries began. Within a month, three ceasefire initiatives were initiated under the mediation of Belarus, which were unsuccessful.
By 2024, Ukraine proposed a ceasefire only if Russia withdrew its military troops from its territory, which failed when Russia did not immediately agree.
Ukraine demanded protection at the United Nations Security Council because Russia had committed war crimes. On the other hand, Russia also expressed its intention to want a ceasefire, but Ukraine accused Russia of taking time to prepare its troops and the war.
The two presidents clashed
On the last day of February, Friday, at midnight Nepali time, there was a live broadcast of the talks, where the two leaders clashed. Donald Trump, who has been a great supporter of Ukraine, was elected as the new president of the United States. He had announced that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war as part of his election agenda.
About a month into his presidency, he held talks with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He had a cordial conversation with Russian President Putin. However, the talks with Zelensky were not fruitful. The world’s attention was focused on the talks and debates taking place in the United States, hoping for a peaceful ceasefire and an end to the war.
US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House, the US Presidential Office. The cameras of the major media were there, hoping for a successful negotiation.
The two presidents, who were discussing enthusiastically, had a disagreement before they could properly enter the main topic. Even the journalists who were recording the talks on camera were confused as the talks turned into a heated exchange. Videos of the talks went viral worldwide.
The video of the talks shows that the talks turned into a fight because they tried not to express gratitude to the US. At the beginning of the conversation, US Vice President JD Vance pointed out that the US was providing a lot of assistance to Ukraine, and Zelensky became angry when he asked to be grateful for the assistance the US was providing to Ukraine.
Although Vice President Vance pointed out that good diplomacy was necessary to end the war, Zelensky asked what kind of diplomacy it was. Zelensky also became angry when Vance commented that it was insulting to the president.
According to the scene seen in the video, US President Trump stepped forward to make his point in the middle of the conversation between the two. Then US President Trump told Zelensky, “You (Russia and Ukraine) have to be ready to make a deal.
Now the US is out of the way of helping Ukraine.” Then Zelensky said, “Ukraine has repeatedly asked for a ceasefire, but what is Russia trying to do?” When Trump objected again, “Russia wants to end the war, you are saying a ceasefire, do you mean that Ukraine does not want peace and an end to the war or what?” Zelensky became even more angry and pointed out that Russia has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement and launched attacks.
US President Trump now said sharply, “You are gambling with the lives of millions of people. You are gambling that you are causing World War III, and what you are doing is also insulting to your country.”
The talks turned heated, and the joint press conference that was scheduled to be held afterwards was also affected. Ukrainian President Zelensky had already left the White House. After that incident, both presidents expressed their views on Fox Television with the intention of calming the situation.
Zelensky had arrived in the US at the invitation of President Trump with the aim of negotiating an end to the war by signing an agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s minerals, in the hope of possible assistance for future reconstruction, as the US withdrew from assistance.
The heated debate between them has led to a partisan debate on the world stage. Some countries are openly claiming to be in favor of Ukraine. Some are suggesting that they should follow the US president’s advice and move forward. Experts have predicted that the future of the whole of Europe, whether the war between Russia and Ukraine will end or not, will be war or peace.
