Why Trump’s war of words with Ukraine’s Zelensky has set off a storm in Taiwan

Name: The full heated argument between Zelensky, Trump and Vance
Uploaded: 2025-03-04T15:00:10.000Z
Duration: 8 min
Description: The full heated argument between Zelensky, Trump and Vance

Dramatic Oval Office showdown prompts worries over whether US might similarly abandon Taiwan in case of a cross-strait crisis

Reading Time:5 minutes

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The blow-up between the US and Ukrainian leaders has reignited political debate in Taipei over the “Today Ukraine, Tomorrow Taiwan” narrative, with opposition voices warning of the island’s potential vulnerability. Photo: EPA-EFE

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 11:00pm, 4 Mar 2025Updated: 12:27am, 5 Mar 2025

US President Donald Trump’s heated exchange with Volodymyr Zelensky last week has triggered intense debate in Taiwan, where sympathy for the Ukrainian leader is mixed with growing anxiety over whether the US might similarly abandon the island in the case of a cross-strait crisis.

Unlike last month’s high-level US-Russia talks on ending the three-year war in Ukraine, which barely registered with the Taiwanese public, the Trump-Zelensky war of words has dominated discussions across the island.

Observers say this reflects deep-rooted concerns about whether Taiwan can truly rely on the United States in the event of a cross-strait conflict.

The tense Oval Office meeting on Friday saw Trump accuse Zelensky of “gambling with millions of lives” and suggest that the Ukrainian leader’s actions could trigger World War III.

The meeting reportedly ended in humiliation for Zelensky, who was asked to leave without signing a US$500 billion rare earth deal that Trump had demanded in compensation for previous US military aid.

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The full heated argument between Zelensky, Trump and Vance

The final moments of the 45-minute meeting devolved into a dramatic shouting match between Trump, his Vice-President J.D. Vance and Zelensky, who argued that Russia could not be trusted to uphold any peace agreement given its history of broken commitments.