Following the tense meeting with the leader of Ukraine last week, President Donald Trump could touch upon Ukraine policy Tuesday night during a address to both chambers of Congress.
The address to the joint session of Congress is set for 9 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday and will give the president an opportunity to speak about last week’s meeting that went off-script.
Trump on Feb. 28 called off a planned press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Kyiv’s leader asked to leave the White House early following a tense meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The confrontation, which Trump said would make great television, sparked extensive commentary over the weekend by pundits and lawmakers. The episode casts further doubt on the future of U.S.’ security assistance efforts for Ukraine.
The war, which began in 2022, has endangered nuclear power plants in Ukraine, notably the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the Chernobyl plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said last Thursday that Ukrainian firefighters were still trying to put out fires from an alleged drone strike on Chernobyl Feb. 14.
Zelenskyy and Trump were expected to sign a new agreement at the White House establishing a framework granting the U.S. greater access to critical minerals in Ukraine, before Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of not expressing sufficient gratitude for the U.S.’ support providing aid to assist in its fight against Russia.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier in February that European partners must provide “the overwhelming share” of future weapons aid to Ukraine.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily contributed to this story.
