WASHINGTON, March 4. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky will hardly be able to restore relations with US President Donald Trump after their public verbal spat at the White House, Chas Freeman, retired American diplomat, former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and charge d'affaires to China and Thailand, told TASS.

"I think what happened was an emotional rupture, not just a strategic rupture. And so when [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer, Sir Keir, says Zelensky has got to make up with Trump, I think the divorce has already happened. It's not just a separation, it's a divorce," he pointed out, commenting on the outcome of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky that had taken place in Washington on February 28.

"I don't think at this point Zelensky can change sufficiently to restore relations with the petulant Mr. Trump. So that's what happened. It was a strategic rupture. It was an emotional rupture. It is probably irreparable," said Freeman who held important positions at the US Department of State and the Pentagon in the past. He served as US assistant secretary of defense in 1993-1994.

According to the expert, "Mr. Trump very clearly has called for elections in Ukraine." The analyst believes that the US president probably did that in part because Russian leader Vladimir Putin had insisted on that, "saying that he needs to be able to do a deal with a legitimate force in Kiev, and that Mr. Zelensky's shelf life has expired, so he should be taken off the rack in the supermarket."

Freeman noted that US Senator Lindsey Graham, now a Trump ally, had echoed the statement that Zelensky had to resign or change. The expert added that he had no respect for Graham, known for his Russophobic rhetoric.

The retired diplomat pointed to "a clash of narratives" at the meeting between Trump and Zelensky. "Mr. Trump is right to say that, from his perspective, Zelensky is not ready for peace," Freeman said, adding Zelensky "appeared to be against rapprochement with Russia <...>, which is Mr. Trump's main point."

White House spat

On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House for a meeting with Trump. Their televised exchange, with reporters present, unraveled into a shouting match, with Trump scolding Zelensky for being disrespectful to the US, and Vice President JD Vance noting that Zelensky had not ever said a "thank you" for all the support provided to Kiev. A news conference scheduled to follow the meeting was canceled, and Trump posted a statement on the Truth Social media platform saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for peace.

On March 3, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky’s remark about the conflict being far from over was "the worst statement that could have been made." He added that "America will not put up with it for much longer."