Zelenskyy then abruptly left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal with the U.S. that Trump had demanded and suggested was a condition for future support for Ukraine.
The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
It began with Vance telling Zelenskyy, “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
"Obviously [Vice President] Vance and President Trump were not very happy with [Zelenskyy's] public statements. And he doesn't seem to be terribly appreciative, which as a guy who's been in a war president for three years, he's probably a bit worn and a bit irascible. So, I understand that." "It's a fairly common back-and-forth when you're dealing with very tense situations, so I'm not the least surprised of the words that were said – but certainly the audience. I think it adds a bit of credibility to the president and his administration when they point out that this is a very tough situation that we're trying to deal with." Robert L. Maginnis |
Zelenskyy tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.
It was an astonishing display of open antagonism in the Oval Office, a setting better known for somber diplomacy. Trump laid bare his efforts to push Zelenskyy to agree to giving the U.S. an interest in his country’s valuable minerals and to push him toward a diplomatic resolution to the war on the American leader’s terms.
Earlier in the meeting Trump said the U.S. would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but said he hoped that not too much aid would be forthcoming. “We’re not looking forward to sending a lot of arms,” Trump said. “We’re looking forward to getting the war finished so we can do other things.”
Trump suggested that Zelenskyy wasn't in a position to be demanding concessions.
"You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy. “With us you start having cards.”
He also accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to the U.S.
“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump told Zelenskyy at one point, as the two leaders talked over each other about past international support for Ukraine.
“Again, just say thank you,” Vance interjected to Zelenskyy, blasting him for litigating “disagreements” in front of the press. Trump, though, suggested he was fine with the drama. “I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on,” he added.
“You're not acting at all thankful,” Trump said, before adding, “This is going to be great television.”
The harsh words came at a pivotal and precarious moment for Ukraine. Zelenskyy had planned to try to convince the White House to provide some form of U.S. backing for Ukraine's security against any future Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy had been expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the U.S. aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.
The deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three year war, referenced the importance of Ukraine's security. Earlier in the meeting, before tempers flared, Trump said the agreement would be signed soon in the East Room of the White House.
“We have something that is a very fair deal,” Trump said, adding, “It is a big commitment from the United States.”
He said the U.S. wants to see the killing in the war stopped, adding that U.S. money for Ukraine should be "put to different kinds of use like rebuilding.”
