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Trump consulted with Bannon on eve of quarrel with Zelensky — The Atlantic

Former chief political advisor Steve Bannon spent about 30 minutes explaining why he doesn't like the deal and why he doesn't trust the Ukrainian leader

WASHINGTON, October 21. /TASS/. On the eve of his February quarrel with Vladimir Zelensky US President Donald Trump consulted with his former chief political advisor Steve Bannon, The Atlantic quoted book "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America" by Jonathan Karl as saying on the eve of its publication.

The ABC News chief Washington correspondent said that on the eve of the meeting with Zelensky, Trump was presented with a draft agreement with Ukraine on the joint development of mineral deposits located on its territory, but considered the document insufficiently beneficial for America. After that, he personally called Bannon in the presence of his assistants and asked his opinion on the matter.

Bannon spent about 30 minutes explaining why he doesn't like the deal and why he doesn't trust the Ukrainian leader. Trump's ex-consultant called Zelensky "this punk" and predicted that Kiev would try to get security guarantees from the United States. "You can’t trust him. You can’t trust any of the Europeans. These guys are really slippery," Karl quotes Bannon as saying.

The book said this conversation could set the tone for the meeting between Trump and Zelensky, which ended in a shouting match in the presence of journalists and television cameras.

On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House to meet with Trump. During the conversation, an altercation arose between them with Trump pointing to Zelensky's disrespectful attitude towards the United States, and Vice President JD Vance saying he had forgotten to thank Washington for its support to Kiev. The press conference following their meeting was canceled, and the signing of the minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine did not take place. Trump said on Truth Social that Zelensky showed disrespect and demonstrated unwillingness to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

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Ukraine United States Donald Trump Vladimir Zelensky

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