The same week Ukraine marked the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, President Donald Trump met with that country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as separate meetings other world leaders, at the white House. The meeting with Zelenskyy devolved into shouting, with Trump accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of “gambling with World War III.”
The same week in Washington, Trump pitched a controversial new path to American citizenship and Vice President JD Vance addressed the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
Trump meets with world leaders
In a series of meetings over the course of the week, Trump met with world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Zelenskyy.
Each meeting was colored by the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a growing rift between the Trump administration and European allies over how to bring an end to that conflict.
Despite Trump’s rhetoric about the conflict — including a false claim that Ukraine, not Russia started the war — the White House welcomed Zelenskyy with a color guard.
But an Oval Office meeting between the pair as well as Vice President JD Vance appeared tense, with Trump telling Zelenskyy, “You don’t have the cards right now.”
Trump and Vance suggested that Zelenskyy should be more “thankful” for U.S. support, with Trump even raising his voice. Vance accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” for making his case in the Oval Office in front of the American media.
A planned joint press conference between Trump and Zelensky was scrapped. Trump said on his social media website, “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Despite a show of friendship between Macron and Trump and the latter’s call for “peace,” the French leader said during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House a few days earlier, “This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine.”
“It must not mean a cease-fire without guarantees,” Macron said. “This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty.”
Trump floats immigration ‘gold cards’
President Donald Trump on Feb. 25 floated the idea of implementing a so-called “gold card” for those seeking to immigrate to the U.S., which he said could be purchased for $5 million as a path to American citizenship.
“They’ll be wealthy; and they’ll be successful,” Trump said in comments in the Oval Office. “And they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.”
Trump also suggested the idea could reduce the federal deficit.
However, such a proposal may prove difficult to implement without Congressional cooperation, as it would likely face legal challenges.
5th Circuit sides with Planned Parenthood in Medicaid dispute
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 26 reversed a lower court ruling that Planned Parenthood could be liable for nearly $2 billion for defrauding Medicaid.
The ruling overturned a previous decision by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas. Kacsmaryk ruled in 2023 that Planned Parenthood had to return millions in funding it received from Texas and Louisiana’s Medicaid programs after those states alleged it defrauded those programs. But Planned Parenthood argued the effort was an attempt to shut down its clinics in those states.
The case followed controversial undercover videos in 2015 by pro-life activists featuring discussions with Planned Parenthood executives that appeared to negotiate the price of aborted fetal body parts with the activists, who portrayed buyers from a human biologics company. Federal law prohibits the sale of human remains. Spokespersons for Planned Parenthood have maintained that they were reimbursed only for expenses.
Vance addresses National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
Vance said he was “surprised” by Pope Francis’ criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policy, but said he is praying for the pontiff’s recovery amid his hospitalization.
Vance, who recently found himself at odds with the Catholic Church’s leaders on issues including migration, made his remarks during the Feb. 28 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, during which he took a conciliatory tone, casting the dispute as a social media controversy.
In a January interview, Vance questioned the motives of the U.S. bishops’ criticism of some of Trump’s immigration policies, suggesting their objection to the suspension of a federal refugee resettlement program had more to do with “their bottom line.” But outside audits of the bishops’ work with refugees show the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not profit from that work, and in fact has spent the church’s funds to cover what the government would not.
There is ongoing friction between church leaders and Trump over some of the administration’s first actions of Trump’s second term including rescinding a long-standing policy generally preventing immigration arrests at houses of worship, schools, and other sensitive locations; revoking refugee resettlement contracts; and efforts to expand in vitro fertilization. The bishops have praised other actions on issues in line with Catholic teaching including education and gender policy.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington.
