Backgrounder: Trump, Zelenskyy to meet amid war of words

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Thursday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for Friday.

The first face-to face meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since the former was inaugurated on January 20, expected to focus on a rare minerals agreement, comes after a recent slew of high-profile verbal clashes between the pair.

'Behind our backs'

Trump and Zelenskyy have been trading barbs following a high-level U.S.-Russia meeting over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, held in Saudi Arabia on February 18.

Senior Russian and U.S. officials, including top diplomats from both countries, agreed on charting a path toward ending the conflict.

However, Ukraine was not invited, and in response Zelenskyy postponed a scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia on February 19, emphasizing that "negotiations should not take place behind our backs."

His reaction prompted a wave of verbal attacks from Trump, triggering a rare public back-and-forth between the leaders of two countries that have been steadfast allies since the conflict began three years ago.

Hours after the U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that he was "much more confident" that the conflict would end.

When asked about Ukraine's absence at the negotiating table, Trump responded, "I hear that they're upset about not having a seat. Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily."

He further suggested that Kyiv bore responsibility for starting the conflict, a stark departure from the long-standing stance of the United States and its allies. "You should have never started it. You could have made a deal," Trump added.

Trump also claimed that Zelenskyy's approval rating had plummeted to "4 percent" and called for new presidential elections in Ukraine as Zelenskyy's mandate has long expired.

Ukraine postponed its presidential election that was scheduled for 2024 because of the ongoing conflict.

Zelenskyy responded sharply to Trump's comments, accusing him of falling for Russian "disinformation."

"I believe that the United States helped (Vladimir) Putin break out of years of isolation," Zelenskyy told reporters on Wednesday, delivering some of his strongest criticism yet of the new U.S. administration.

He also urged Trump's team "to be more truthful" in their statements.

'Dictator' accusations

The war of words further escalated when Trump labeled Zelenskyy a "Dictator without Elections" on his social media platform, Truth Social, on February 19.

"Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left," Trump wrote.

In the same post, Trump referred to Zelenskyy as "a modestly successful comedian" who "talked the United States into spending 350 billion dollars to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start," and "will never be able to settle" without the United States and himself.

Zelenskyy pushed back by saying that the United States had given $67 billion in military aid and $31.5 billion in support for Ukraine's budget.

He also pointed out that his approval rating stands above 50 percent, referring to a recent poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

However, on the eve of Zelenskyy's visit, Trump on February 27 voiced respect for the Ukrainian president, downplaying the earlier jibe that he was a "dictator."

"Did I say that? I can't believe I said that," Trump said when asked by journalists about his recent comment.

'Zelenskyy has no cards'

Trump depicted Zelenskyy's presence at peace talks as "not very important" on February 21.

In an interview on Fox News Radio's The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump criticized Zelenskyy's handling of the war. "I've been watching this man for years now, as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as the soldiers get decimated."

Trump went on to argue that Zelenskyy lacks leverage in negotiations. "He has no cards," said Trump.

The American president said that Zelenskyy's participation in talks over the past three years had not led to any substantial progress.

"He's been at meetings for three years, and nothing got done," Trump said.

While acknowledging the devastation in Ukraine, Trump argued that Zelenskyy's involvement in peace talks has made it more difficult to reach deals. "He makes it very hard to make deals. But look what's happened to his country, it's been demolished."

'Ukraine can forget about joining NATO'

Trump said on February 26 that Ukraine could "forget about" joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and he would try to get Ukraine as much land as possible from Russia.

"NATO, you can forget about it," Trump told reporters before convening a meeting of his cabinet members inside the White House.

"I think that's probably the reason the whole thing started," he said.

The U.S. president made the remarks when asked what concessions he would like to see at the negotiating table with Russia.

Trump, who has been trying to broker peace for the three-year conflict between Kyiv and Moscow, also said that he will try to let Ukraine take back as much Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia as possible.

"We're going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides, but for Ukraine, we're going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible. We want to get as much back as possible," he said.

Zelenskyy said that he was willing to step down as president if that would mean Ukraine could become a member of NATO.

(With input from agencies)