A meeting between the US President, Donald Trump, and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the White House’s Oval Office turned into a fiery exchange, in an unprecedented incident.
In a televised heated argument on Friday, Trump berated Zelensky, while his Vice President, JD Vance, accused the Ukrainian leader of not showing enough gratitude for the US support, reported BBC.
Ultimately, Ukraine’s President was asked to leave the White House, cancelling the rest of his visit without signing a minerals deal that was supposed to be a prelude for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump-Zelensky Meeting
The Trump-Zelensky meeting aimed to discuss an agreement between the US and Ukraine, involving US access to Ukrainian oil, gas and rare minerals, in addition to an investment fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Zelensky has pushed for security guarantees from the US.
Trump rejected, saying that the deal aimed to return American taxpayers’ money for aid sent to Ukraine throughout the war, and that the responsibility of Kyiv’s security should fall to Europe.
Clash Trigger
Tensions began to rise when Vance said the “path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy.” The Ukrainian President responded by referring to a failed ceasefire in 2019, asking “what kind of diplomacy? What do you mean?”
Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and “litigating” the situation in front of the American media, telling him that he should be thanking Trump for trying to end the conflict.
Public Spat
At this point, the conversation turned into a public spat. The US VP challenged Zelensky over problems he’s had with the military and conscription, to which the Ukrainian leader replied: “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel [it] now, but you will feel it in the future.”
Here, Trump interfered, telling Zelensky “You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, because you’re in no position to dictate that.”
Berating Zelensky
Trump and Vance continued to accuse the Ukrainian President of not being thankful to the US support and that he does not want to end the war. “You’re playing cards, you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump told him.
Shortly after the meeting, Zelensky left the White House in his official vehicle, early before his scheduled news conference with Trump.
Disrespecting the US
Later, the US President posted on Truth Social: “I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
Trump also accused Zelensky of being disrespectful to the US. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump added.
No Apologies
On the other hand, the Ukrainian President thanked the US and its President on social media. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people,” he wrote on X, referring to the US President.
In a later interview with Fox News, Zelensky refused to apologize to Trump. However, he expressed regret about the exchange and appreciation to the US support. “We are thankful and sorry for this,” he said.
International Reaction
The heated meeting has sparked widespread reactions in the US and Europe. Republicans praised Trump, while Democrats criticized him.
The Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for the Ukrainian President to step down, telling reporters that Zelensky “either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, condemned Zelensky’s treatment as “appalling,” saying that it “will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians backed their leader and key European allies rallied around Zelensky, in a show of support for Ukraine. These included the leaders of France, UK, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Portugal, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg and the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
