Sen. Mark Kelly calls Trump-Zelenskyy meeting ‘a dumpster fire of diplomacy’

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly was disgusted by President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

He referred to last week’s meeting as a “dumpster fire of diplomacy” during a Sunday interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Kelly told the show’s host, Margaret Brennan, that he took umbrage with the Trump administration’s claims that Zelenskyy wasn’t showing adequate gratitude, saying that the Ukrainian president has been grateful for all the aid his warring nation has received.

“I think JD Vance, the vice president — with all due respect — it sounds like he’s watching videos on the internet,” Kelly told CBS. “To say to Zelenskyy, ‘You’re not being thankful enough,’ I mean Zelenskyy thanks the American people all the time.”

Mark Kelly reacts to meeting between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President

Kelly reacted to the televised meeting between the two leaders that ended without Zelenskyy signing a “minerals deal” that Trump said was the first step in ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The proposed mineral deal would involve Ukraine giving much of its minerals to the U.S. in exchange for financial support.

“His concern is that he doesn’t have a security guarantee, and he’s being asked to give up minerals,” Kelly said of Zelenskyy. “We are a country of values and principles. We stand with our allies. He needs security guarantees.”

Mark Kelly: “This is a gift to Putin … this makes us look weak. it’s not normal behavior” pic.twitter.com/Xs3rB9DZRx

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2025

Economic deals should come after a ceasefire, he added.

“Have the Russians given any indication they want peace?” Kelly said. “Zelenskyy wants peace. Of course he does.”

Kelly said he also felt that the meeting should have been held in private and not in front of the cameras for the world to see how Zelenskyy was treated.

“He was cornered and he was bullied in the Oval Office. That just makes us look weak,” Kelly said. “The only winner in that exchange is Putin, who’s a criminal, who’s killing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. It was a sad day for our country.”

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