Donald Trump’s team ‘to ramp up investigation’ in Ukraine ‘fraud’ after shouting match | World | News
The disastrous meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday evening will speed up Washington’s efforts to investigate any waste, fraud and abuse involving US aid to Ukraine, a senior US official has claimed. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and billionaire Elon Musk were already looking into possible issues with the economic and security assistance provided by Washington to Ukraine, the official said.
But the shouting match that took place at the White House on Friday, involving Mr Zelensky, Mr Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, will likely accelerate the process, it is alleged. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official claimed to Reuters, without providing further details: “They’re already finding problems.” This comes amid a different report claiming the State Department terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine‘s energy grid from attacks by the Russian military.
As the Russian military has repeatedly targeted Ukraine‘s power grid over the past three years of war, sparking several blackouts across the wartorn country, this decision to end the Ukraine Energy Security Project may deal a crippling blow to Kyiv.
This move, alleged by two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission who spoke to NBC News, was reportedly enforced earlier this week, before the showdown between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky at the White House.
Today’s meeting at the White House was expected to end with the wartime leader signing a minerals deal with the US that would have helped secure further support from Washington.
However, tensions started to emerge soon after the beginning of the conference, with Mr Trump speaking about the aid sent to Ukraine by the US and claiming Mr Zelensky’s country was “in big trouble”.
He added: “You’re not winning … You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.”
Mr Zelensky fired back, warning the US that it would “feel it in the future” if it did not continue to support Ukraine – which prompted Mr Trump to reply “don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem”.
The meeting eventually descended into a shouting match, with Mr Zelensky leaving the White House without any agreement in place – and with relations between Kyiv and Washington at a new low point.
