Trump-Zelensky Clash and Ukraine Support Shifts – 2/28/2025

United States

  • Enraged Democrats slam Trump and Vance for allegedly aligning with dictators following a tense Oval Office clash, per Fox
  • Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds enacts a law removing gender identity safeguards from the state’s civil rights framework, per AP
  • Microsoft plans to terminate Skype, acquired 14 years ago for $8.5 billion, per CBS
  • Investor Keith Rabois and Trump ally Jacob Helberg list their Miami Beach mansion, featuring a massive scuba-sized aquarium, for $65 million, per NYP
  • A government report warns that tariff threats and economic uncertainty may burden consumers and hinder U.S. growth, per AP
  • Sean Hannity claims on his radio show, “Zelensky and Europe now are on their own,” per Media Matters
  • Senator Lindsey Graham expresses strong doubts about future U.S. dealings with Zelensky, praising Trump and Vance, saying he’s “never been more proud” of them
  • The State Department has ended U.S. assistance for Ukraine’s energy grid repairs following Zelensky’s ousting from the White House
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest memo confirms all transgender troops are now barred from service, with no exceptions granted
  • Elon Musk describes Trump’s cabinet and the Department of Government Efficiency as “perhaps the most revolutionary since the nation’s founding”
  • Washington Post sees mass subscriber cancellations after Jeff Bezos revamps its opinion section, per NYP
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticizes Zelenskyy’s public approach, saying, “You don’t do a negotiation with the President of the United States in public like this,” calling it a “disrespect of the American people”
  • Citigroup accidentally deposited $81 trillion into a customer’s account instead of $280, reversing it hours later, per CBS

International

  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez affirms Spain’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine
  • EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas pledges stronger backing for Ukraine, declaring, “The world needs a new leader”
  • Germany’s probable next Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) expresses solidarity with Zelensky and Ukraine’s cause
  • German Chancellor Scholz assures Ukraine of steadfast support from both Germany and Europe
  • French President Macron weighs in on the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office dispute, stating, “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the aggressed people”
  • Arab leaders drafting a counterproposal to Trump’s Gaza depopulation plan face a lingering dilemma: how to handle Hamas, per WSJ
  • Reports indicate Zelenskyy held talks with Emmanuel Macron and Mark Rutte following a tense confrontation with Trump and JD Vance