Oval Office spat to public rebukes: A timeline of Trump-Zelenskyy ties

United States President Donald Trump has called for the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aft blaming the Ukrainian person for rising diesel prices, which person enactment unit connected the Republican Party up of the November midterm elections.

The disapproval connected Saturday came arsenic tensions betwixt the US and Ukraine person accrued aft Trump announced a diesel proviso woody with Russia.

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“I deliberation it’s ⁠⁠⁠⁠time for Ukraine to get a caller president,” Trump told reporters astatine the White House connected Saturday, saying Zelenskyy had wounded planetary diesel supplies with strikes connected Russian refineries.

“He wants to marque problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel substance due to the fact that Russia supplies a ample information of the diesel substance passim the world,” Trump added.

Zelenskyy connected Sunday pushed back, vowing to proceed striking Russian lipid refineries. “Ukraine volition beryllium acceptable to halt striking Russian lipid refineries if Russia stops striking our vigor infrastructure,” Zelenskyy wrote connected X.

“It is imaginable to halt strikes connected vigor infrastructure arsenic aboriginal arsenic today, but (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not privation to bash so,” helium said.

This is not the archetypal clip Trump has lambasted Zelenskyy. Their tense narration goes backmost to Trump’s archetypal word arsenic president, erstwhile helium pressured Zelenskyy to analyse his rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.

Here’s a timeline of immoderate of the occasions erstwhile Trump has been captious of Zelenskyy:

October 2026: In his remarks astatine the White House, Trump criticised Zelenskyy implicit the deficiency of a bid woody portion demanding an extremity to Ukrainian strikes connected Russian vigor facilities.

“I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t deed refineries. There’s plentifulness of targets. Don’t ‌‌‌‌hit ‌‌‌‌refineries.’ And helium went retired and helium hit,” Trump said. “He amended damn good stop.”

“I suggest they get a caller person who tin marque a woody due to the fact that helium could person made galore deals, but for immoderate reason, helium ne'er does,” Trump added.

Trump, who has been urging Zelenskyy to halt attacking Russian vigor infrastructure for weeks, struck a woody with Putin connected Friday to bargain diesel from Russia successful an effort to trim precocious substance prices.

The woody marked a stunning reversal of years of Washington’s unit connected Russia implicit its afloat standard penetration of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said each further $1bn Russia earns from exports would assistance wage for weapons components, drone upgrades, rocket accumulation and the recruitment of mercenaries.

Moscow would lone beryllium acceptable to halt erstwhile its quality to combat diminished, helium added.

April 2025: On April 15 , Trump criticised Zelenskyy and implied Kyiv had started the warfare against Russia, saying the Ukrainian person was “always looking to purchase” US missiles. “You don’t commencement a warfare against idiosyncratic 20 times your size and anticipation radical springiness you immoderate missiles,” Trump said.

Then connected April 23 , helium criticised Zelenskyy for making “very harmful” statements aft the Ukrainian president pushed backmost against the thought of ceding occupied Crimea to Russia successful a imaginable bid deal.

Zelenskyy had ruled retired ceding immoderate territory, declaring, “There is thing to speech astir – it is our land, the onshore of the Ukrainian people”.

In a station connected his societal media platform, Trump accused Zelenskyy of stoking hostility by “boasting” that Kyiv would not legally recognise ceding Crimea to Russia.

“This connection is precise harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia,” Trump said, adding that Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula and annexed it backmost successful 2014 “without a changeable being fired”.

“It’s inflammatory statements similar Zelenskyy’s that makes it truthful hard to settee this War,” Trump said. “He tin person Peace or, helium tin combat for different 3 years earlier losing the full Country.”

Despite the tension, the 2 leaders held a backstage gathering astatine the Vatican connected April 26, 2025, during Pope Francis’s funeral.

Feb 28, 2025: During their fiery Oval Office meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Zelenskyy implicit uncommon world mineral agreements, information assurances and bid negotiations with Russia.

Trump warned Zelenskyy, “You’re either going to marque a woody [on ending the warfare with Russia] oregon we’re out,” and accused the Ukrainian person of having “disrespected” the United States and “overplayed his hand”.

The US president and Vance besides berated Zelenskyy for lacking gratitude and refusing to compromise to extremity the war, with Trump arguing that Zelenskyy was unready for peace.

The gathering devolved into a shouting lucifer and Zelenskyy departed the White House abruptly.

February 19, 2025: A period aft returning to powerfulness for a 2nd term, Trump called the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” and accused him of wanting to support the “gravy train” of US subject enactment going portion Washington tries to extremity the warfare with Russia.

In a lengthy and scathing post connected his societal media level Truth Social, Trump accused Zelenskyy of taking US wealth and embroiling the state successful an endless conflict.

He aboriginal doubled down connected those comments, telling an assemblage astatine an concern acme successful Miami that Zelenskyy had “done a unspeakable job, his state is shattered, and millions and millions of radical person unnecessarily died”.

“A dictator without elections. Zelenskyy amended determination accelerated oregon he’s not going to person a state left. Gotta move. Gotta determination accelerated origin that war’s going successful the incorrect direction,” Trump said connected signifier astatine the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute summit.

“In the meantime, we’re successfully negotiating an extremity to the warfare with Russia. Something I’ll admit that lone Trump is going to beryllium capable to bash and the Trump medication – we’re going to beryllium capable to bash it. I deliberation Putin adjacent admitted that,” helium said.

“Biden ne'er tried. Europe has failed to bring bid and Zelenskyy astir apt wants to, possibly helium wants to support the gravy bid going. I don’t cognize what’s the problem, but helium has been able. He’s precise upset,” helium added.

Trump had been captious of Biden’s fiscal and subject enactment to Ukraine during the war. He had vowed to extremity the warfare wrong 24 hours of his taking office, but aboriginal said helium was being “sarcastic”.

2024 Campaign trail: On the 2024 US statesmanlike predetermination run trail, Trump repeatedly criticised Zelenskyy for not trying hard capable to extremity Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine. In September, astatine an predetermination rally code successful North Carolina, Trump lashed retired astatine Zelenskyy for refusing to negotiate, stating that adjacent the “worst deal” oregon giving up a tiny magnitude of territory would beryllium amended than ongoing decease and destruction.

July 2019: During his archetypal term, Trump repeatedly urged Zelenskyy to enactment with Rudy Giuliani and the US lawyer wide to analyse Democratic governmental rival Joe Biden. That is according to a five-page memo summarising the July 25 call.

At the clip of the call, the Trump medication was besides withholding from Ukraine astir $400m successful congressionally approved information assistance, prompting speculation the US president was utilizing the wealth arsenic leverage to get his desired investigations.

Zelenskyy expressed willingness to look into caller cases and cooperate with US investigations, though helium and Ukrainian officials aboriginal maintained they did not consciousness straight threatened oregon pressured during the speech itself.