President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump held a 45-minute-long press briefing in the Oval Office that ended in a heated argument about American aid to Ukraine, and the canceling of the planned signing of the U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement.
In a post on Truth Social after the meeting, Trump said Zelensky "disrespected the the United States of America in the cherished Oval Office."
"He can come back when he is ready for peace," he added.
Zelensky met Trump in Washington on Feb. 28 as the two leaders were expected to sign a framework deal on Ukraine's natural resources.
But during a press conference, a scuffle began following Zelensky's answer to U.S. Vice President JD Vance's comments.
In response to a journalist’s question that Trump and his administration were aligning themselves with President Vladimir Putin and Russia, Vance interjected, saying that former President Joe Biden had done nothing to end the war in Ukraine through diplomatic means.
“The path to peace and the path to prosperity is engaging in diplomacy. What makes America is a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That is what President Trump is doing,” Vance said.
Zelensky responded by explaining the history of Russian aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with Russia’s invasion in the east and the annexation of Crimea, noting that Moscow had broken a ceasefire deal negotiated in 2019 through diplomatic efforts with France and Germany.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelensky asked. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance said in response.
It was at that point that Vance became noticeably irritated and began chastising Zelensky.
"Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance said.
"Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the President for trying to bring an end to this conflict."
Zelensky asked Vance if he'd been to Ukraine himself to see the problems the country faced.
"I've been... I've actually seen and watched the stories," Vance said.
At one point when Zelensky began to respond, Trump said: "You've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning this."
"We are staying, Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone. And we are thankful. I said thanks in this Cabinet," Zelensky responded.
"You are not in a good position. You don't have the right cards right now," Trump said.
"I'm not playing cards," Zelensky responded.
"You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III! And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country. It's back to you," Trump said.
Trump also said Ukraine had not been alone because "stupid" former President Biden gave Kyiv military aid.
"If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks. Okay?" Trump added.
"You've gotta be more thankful" -- remarkable scenes out of the White House as Trump and JD Vance team up to do Putin's bidding and demean Zelenskyy pic.twitter.com/wjp8UfqN0G
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2025
Trump said it was going to be a "very hard thing to do business like this" before Vance falsely suggested Zelensky had never thanked the U.S. for aid.
Zelensky once again said he was thankful before Trump accused him of not being serious about wanting a ceasefire.
"You’re buried there. You’re … people are dying. You're running low on soldiers," he said.
"Of course, we want to stop the war," Zelensky replied.
"But you're saying you don't want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement," Trump said.
"It’s going to make great television," Trump said after the argument. The press briefing ended shortly after.
In one of the videos posted online, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova is seen shaking her head in disbelief.
The reaction of Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, during the heated exchange between Trump and Zelenskiy. pic.twitter.com/OA8UJlEHRc
— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) February 28, 2025
According to CNN, Zelensky left the White House shortly after and the planned signing of the mineral deal as well as a planned press conference were both cancelled.
Zelensky's visit was preceded by weeks of tense negotiations as Ukraine rejected the initial two draft mineral deal proposals, presenting them as one-sided obligations for Ukraine without any security commitments on Washington's side.
The long-debated agreement would have established a fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of proceeds from the future monetization of state-owned mineral resources, including oil, gas, and logistics infrastructure.
Chris York
Author's Note
Hi, this is Oleksiy Sorokin, deputy chief editor at the Kyiv Independent, and I wrote this article.
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