Trump, Zelenskyy shouting match underscores change in U.S. foreign policy

By Domenico Montanaro

Published February 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM EST

President Trump looks on during a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 27.

Updated February 28, 2025 at 17:23 PM ET

We'll be recapping what you need to know every Friday morning for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Get more updates and analysis in the NPR Politics newsletter.

Since the end of World War II, the United States has promoted Western values, strong international alliances — and a shared view that Russia (or the then-Soviet Union) was an adversary.

It appears that the U.S., under President Trump, is now ceding that ground.

"I'm not aligned with anybody," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that descended into a shouting match. "I'm aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world, I'm aligned with the world, and I want to get this thing over with."

With Trump's transactional nature, American foreign policy has been reoriented to one that downplays alliances and is open for business with any country — depending on what's in it for the United States in the short run.

Nothing encapsulates that more than what happened this week as it relates to Ukraine, from the United States siding with Russia at the United Nations at the beginning of the week on the three-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the meeting at the White House that saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance accuse Zelenskyy of not being "thankful."

Zelenskyy was in Washington to discuss and potentially sign a minerals deal that he hoped would give more security guarantees to his country, something Trump has been reluctant to commit to. That deal now appears to be in serious jeopardy.

Drag-line excavator mines rare earth materials on Ukrainian soil on February 25, 2025 in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine.

"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations," Trump posted on his social media platform after the meeting. "I don't want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

Here's a look at what happened this week that led up to the meeting:

Trump called the potential minerals deal "very well advanced" on Thursday, but he didn't want to "jinx" it. He said there have been "very good talks" with both parties. "I think Russia has been acting very well," he said of the negotiations to end the war.
One of the sticking points, however, is that Ukraine wants firmer security guarantees. Trump, though, said at a meeting with his Cabinet that he's not guaranteeing security for Ukraine; that's up to Europe. "I'm not making security guarantees," he said, adding, "NATO you can forget about."
At the same meeting, Vice President Vance chided the media for drawing conclusions about which side Trump is on while he is trying to negotiate an end to the war.
But on Thursday, in the White House meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump contended: "Putting security there, that's the easy part." And he said: "We're going to see if we can get a lot of it [territory] back for Ukraine, if it's possible."
Trump walked back his comment from last week that Zelenskyy is a "dictator." "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that," he told reporters Thursday. Of Putin sticking to a deal, Trump said, "I don't believe he's going to violate his word." Russia already violated an agreement for Ukrainian security if Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Trump later said of his Friday meeting with Zelenskyy: "We are going to be signing a deal together, probably in front of the media."

That was only one of the major stories that made headlines in the last week. There was also the email heard 'round the federal government that led to confusion throughout the country, testy town halls with GOP constituents pushing back on DOGE's chainsaw approach to government staffing and spending and an eyebrow-raising AI video posted – without explanation – to Trump's official social media accounts depicting a Gaza with a feasting Elon Musk, gold Trump balloons, belly dancers and "Trump Gaza" signs and a lot more.

Here's a day-by-day wrap up of everything (that we know of) that happened since our last analysis posted a week ago:

Last Friday:

Steve Bannon says it was just a "wave" at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, while others saw it as a Nazi salute meant to be intentionally provocative. The Anti-Defamation League condemned it and a French far-right leader canceled his trip to CPAC because of "a gesture referring to Nazi ideology," he said.
The Washington Post reports that Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has asked Elon Musk to "better coordinate" on cuts initiated by Musk's informal advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
A Trump-appointed judge in Washington reversed his restraining order against the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID.
The Trump administration restores dozens of jobs at the National Park Service. Many are to help maintain and clean parks and collect admission fees. The Park Service says it will hire 7,700 seasonal employees, up from 5,000 promised earlier in the week and higher than the 6,350 average for the last three years. Colorado's Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument said on social media that it would close Monday for two days because of a "lack of staffing."
Republicans start to face testy town halls from Georgia to Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Oregon.
Trump has a testy exchange with Maine's governor of transgender athletes in an event with governors at the White House.
Trump fires three top generals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff C.Q. Brown, as well as military JAG lawyers. The firings are being referred to as the Friday Night Massacre.
The Supreme Court temporarily blocks the firing of Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency tasked with protecting the rights of federal workers.

Saturday:

Musk posts on X that federal workers are to send in five bullet points describing what they did the week before — or be considered resigned. Key agencies like Homeland Security, Defense, the FBI and National Institutes of Health tell workers not to reply. But Health and Human Services told workers to do so shortly after the general counsel of the agency told workers not to.
A woman is forcibly removed from a Republican town hall in Idaho because of her protest at the event.
Trump posts on social media that he wants to see Musk "get more aggressive."

Sunday:

Israel sends tanks into the West Bank after bus bombings. It's the first time Israel has done so since 2002.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says on Fox News of the reasoning for firing JAG lawyers: "We want lawyers who give sound constitutional advice and don't exist to attempt to be roadblocks to anything that happens in their spots."
A centrist conservative party in Germany wins the national election, but the far-right AFD, which got a boost from Musk and Trump, doubles its result. Immigration was a big issue.
Trump announces he will nominate Dan Bongino for deputy FBI director. Bongino is a former U.S. Secret Service agent-turned-conservative commentator.

Monday:

It's the three-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. vote at the U.N. sides with Russia.
Dellinger, the watchdog at the Office of Special Counsel, whom Trump tried to fire, requested a stay on firings of federal employees. He described at least six probationary employees' dismissals as "apparently impermissible."
Judge blocks DOGE from accessing Office of Personnel Management and Department of Education information of employees.
Trump meets with France's Macron at the White House.

President Donald Trump, right, and France's President Emmanuel Macron attend a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 24.

Musk posts on X about the email: "Failure to respond a second time could result in termination." Trump says there was a lot of "genius" in sending the email.
A Trump-appointed judge declines to restore the AP's access to the White House because it had not demonstrated it suffered "irreparable harm."
The Justice Department is unable or unwilling to tell a federal judge who exactly runs DOGE.
Trump is considering doing away with AFRICOM — which oversees military operations on the continent of Africa — and putting it under European command.
On the email controversy and heads of agencies telling employees not to respond to it, Trump says, "They don't mean that combative in any way with Elon." It's about security for agencies like the State Department and FBI, he says. Trump also claims, without evidence: "We have people who don't show up to work." And: "People aren't answering, because they don't even exist." Plus: "We're actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is still there."
Some 1,200 people attended the first "Principles First Summit." It's a gathering of a group of conservatives opposed to Trump. Billionaire Mark Cuban was one of the attendees. When he took to the stage, he criticized Democrats, saying their critiques of Trump don't matter because they "can't sell worth s***."
Someone gets an apparently AI-generated video to play on all the screens at the housing department. It depicts Trump kissing Musk's feet with the title: "Long live the real king." People in the building couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so they were ordered to unplug all TVs.

Tuesday:

Trump posts the Gaza A.I. video.
Trump suspends the head of the National Center for Education Statistics on leave. That group that tracks educational achievement in the country.
The White House identifies Amy Gleason as administrator of DOGE.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announces the launch of a registry of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status that would require them to be fingerprinted.
After several testy town halls, NBC News reports Republicans are likely to curtail them, either by doing tele-town halls, vetting attendees or stopping them altogether.
Trump administration says a million federal employees responded to the "what did you do last week" email. It's revealed that Musk himself came up with the idea. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says each agency is responsible for judging their employees.
The House passes a budget, 217-215. One Republican voted against it. There were concerns from some Republicans on spending cuts to Medicaid in this bill.
The New York Times reports that DOGE deleted the first five items they say they cut. That again reduces the total amount the group has cut.
Trump signs an executive order revoking security clearances for those working at Covington and Burling, where some Democratic lawyers work that also helped with legal advice for Jack Smith, the lead prosecutor on cases against Trump stemming from Jan. 6 and Trump's removal of classified documents. Trump offered to send the pen he used to sign the order to Smith.
Trump says he would be introducing a $5 million "gold card" program for people who want permanent legal residency in the United States. Russian oligarchs, he said, could even qualify. "Yeah, possibly," he said. "Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people."
Some Republicans start to voice unease with DOGE's approach. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told MSNBC, she wants to see more "humanity and dignity in the process." Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman voiced concern about farmers who supply USAID and "continues to wait" for more information on the cuts. Other Republicans like Rep. Nicole Maliotakis of New York said the cuts are being done "too fast and furiously" and need to be more targeted. Rep. Richard McCormick of Georgia said federal workers need a chance to adjust their lifestyles.
Alina Habba, counselor to the president, says the president expects people to respond to the email and if they don't there will be repercussions. Various agencies have said the opposite, that responding would be voluntary.
Twenty-one people with technical expertise resigned instead of helping DOGE. They said they refused to "dismantle critical public services." Asked for a response from NPR's Asma Khalid, Leavitt said, "Don't let the door kick you on the way out."
Hegseth visits the detention center at Guantanamo in his first trip since confirmation.
Politico reports on a $25 billion proposal by private contractors for mass deportations conducted by what's essentially a "private army."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. introduces a bill to stop nationwide judicial injunctions that get in the way of Trump's agenda.

Wednesday:

At Trump's first Cabinet meeting, Musk says the OPM email was not a performance review, but a "pulse check review." He says to expect another email to to be sent. "If you have a pulse and two neurons you can reply," Musk said. He claimed that there are lots of dead people taking checks. Trump says the million people who haven't responded are "on the bubble." Trump calls the cuts a "circumcision" and that the federal government is "bloated and fat and disgusting."
Trump says he wants to recover the weaponry left behind in Afghanistan in 2021.
Trump also says he may give Canada and Mexico another month's reprieve on tariffs. "I have to tell you that, you know, on April 2, I was going to do it on April 1, but I'm a little bit superstitious, I made it April 2, the tariffs go on. Not all of them, but a lot of them."
Amazon's Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, seeks to move the opinion page in a more "free markets" and libertarian direction.
The White House strips the White House Correspondents' Association of the ability to determine press pools. "We will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility," Leavitt said.
Trump threatens to sue journalists for using anonymous sources or creating a new law to ban the common practice.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says 100 officers from 15 agencies fired over sexually explicit chats, including about gender-transition surgery.
The Merit Systems Protections Board stays the firings of the six fired probationary employees identified by Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel that Trump tried to fire, until April 10.
Meantime, a federal judge said Dellinger can stay in his job until at least Saturday, so she can draft a permanent ruling. The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to intervene.
The U.S. saw its first reported death from the measles since 2015. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a cabinet meeting that it was a member of the Mennonite community. The child was unvaccinated.
The Trump administration unveils a $1 billion plan to try and combat bird flu and bring egg prices down.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts allows a freeze on USAID payments to continue through at least Friday.
Trump signs an executive order expanding DOGE's powers.
Trump is preparing to use Alien Enemies law to speed up deportations. A Venezuelan gang that the Trump admin labeled a terrorist organization is the target, an official tells CNN.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, announces he is launching a podcast.
Trump effectively ends Chevron's ability to operate in Venezuela. He rescinded a Biden-era exception to Venezuelan sanctions to allow Chevron to continue operations. Trump says it is over Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's unwillingness to help with migrants. Last month, Trump sent Ric Grinnell, the envoy for special missions, to Venezuela in what appeared to be a thaw in the relationship. Chevron has six months to exit.
Trump says the Environmental Protection Agency will cut up to 65% of staff, but then the administration walked that back hours later, noting that it was a 65% budget cut.
Wisconsin cheesemakers sent a letter to USDA demanding congressionally authorized dairy subsidies be unfrozen.
The Office of Management and Budget sends out a guidance memo to agencies on pillars to guide layoffs.
House Speaker Mike Johnson insists on CNN that House Republicans will not make massive Medicaid cuts to pay for Trump's agenda.
Rubio says a deal with Ukraine is on the "half-yard line."

Thursday:

Trump says tariffs will go into effect March 4 against Canada and Mexico, as well as another 10% on China, March 4.
USAID staff instructed to pick up their belongings Thursday and Friday. They got 15 minutes to clear out their desks.

Former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees terminated after the Trump administration dismantled the agency collect their personal belongings at the USAID headquarters on February 27, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The U.K.'s Starmer meets with Trump at the White House and offered him an invitation to a state dinner from King Charles. Starmer noted that the U.K. will be increasing its defense funding and is "all in" on supporting Ukraine. Trump said he supports Article 5 of NATO that essentially says an attack on one is an attack on all. Trump also said a minerals deal would serve as a security "backstop."
A federal judge partially pauses mass firings of some federal employees.
Pro-Trump right-wing online influencer Andrew Tate and his brother were released from prison in Romania and flew back on a private jet to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both were charged with human trafficking in Romania, and Andrew Tate has also been charged with rape. Both men deny the allegations. The Financial Times reports that the Trump administration pressed Romania to release them.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped five major legal cases. In one of the cases, the CFPB had accused Capital One "of failing to pay more than $2 billion in interest to customers by misleading them into thinking they would be getting higher rates."

Friday:

Vance to speak at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Vance chided bishops over immigration earlier this month.
The Supreme Court's decision on USAID is expected.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Trump at the White House.