US wants Zelensky to 'regret' Oval Office clash, sign minerals deal, Waltz says

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration wants to hear from President Volodymyr Zelensky that he regrets the Oval Office clash, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News on March 3.

"What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he regrets what happened, that he's ready to sign this minerals deal, and that he's ready to engage in peace talks," Waltz said.

Zelensky's visit to the White House on Feb. 28 was intended to finalize a long-debated agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine on jointly developing Ukraine's mineral resources.

The press conference instead turned into a public clash, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance berating Zelensky. The Ukrainian president later left the White House without signing the deal.

Following the talks, Trump accused Zelensky of "disrespecting" the U.S. in the Oval Office and said the Ukrainian president "is not ready for peace."

Waltz also claimed the confrontation proved that the Ukrainian president was not serious about peace negotiations.

"But here's the problem: time is not on his (Zelensky's) side. Time is not on the side of indefinitely continuing this conflict. The American people's patience is not unlimited. Their wallets are not unlimited. Our stockpiles and munitions are not unlimited," he said.

Waltz suggested that Zelensky was jeopardizing Ukraine's long-term economic ties with the U.S. He said, "He could leave the White House with the U.S. and Ukraine bound together economically for a generation."

Following the exchange, some Republican lawmakers have ramped up criticism of Zelensky, with some even suggesting he may need to step aside.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News on March 2 that Zelensky "needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country."

Waltz himself took aim at Zelensky in an interview with far-right Breitbart News on March 1, comparing him to "an ex-girlfriend that wants to argue everything that you said."

As U.S. officials continue to lambast the Ukrainian president over the incident, European allies gathered in London on March 2 to reaffirm their support for Zelensky and the embattled country.

US deliberately orchestrated Zelensky-Trump Oval Office clash, Friedrich Merz says

“It was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelensky, but obviously a manufactured escalation in this meeting in the Oval Office,” Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy