Hours Before Trump Showdown, Zelensky Was Warned Not To “Take The Bait”

New Delhi:

Just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stepped into the Oval Office for his infamous meeting with President Donald Trump, he received a blunt warning from a US Senator. 

“Don’t take the bait,” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham advised, cautioning the Ukrainian leader against engaging in a heated debate with Trump, according to the New York Times. “I said, don’t get into arguments about security agreements,” Graham told the Times in an interview. When the meeting began, Zelensky voiced concerns over Ukraine’s war effort and the uncertainty surrounding US military aid. His petition for a more aggressive US engagement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict triggered an extraordinary confrontation. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused him of lacking gratitude. What followed was an unprecedented public spat, unfolding in front of journalists and ending with Zelensky leaving the White House abruptly, without securing a minerals-sharing deal that had been widely expected to be signed.