Washington – U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy collapsed after their discussion on how to deal with Russia devolved into a heated argument in front of the media, an unusually tense spectacle in the world of diplomacy.
The blow-up between Trump and Zelenskyy, which may prove to be a positive development for Russia, could complicate efforts to end the three-year war in Ukraine and have repercussions beyond the fate of the country.
Trump told reporters afterward that he believes Zelenskyy does not want a cease-fire and “he very much overplayed his hand.” Before leaving for a weekend in Florida, he also suggested he cannot reengage with Zelenskyy at least in the immediate future.
Trump said earlier in a social media post that he feels Zelenskyy is “not ready” for peace if the United States is involved.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” he said following their first in-person meeting since Trump returned to the presidency.
Zelenskyy left the White House earlier than planned without signing a much-anticipated minerals agreement or attending a scheduled press conference with Trump.
In a brief post on X, Zelenskyy said, “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” after expressing appreciation to the United States.
Shortly after the post, many European leaders turned to the social media platform to reiterate their support for Ukraine, with many saying it should never be questioned that Russia is the conflict’s aggressor.
With Zelenskyy pushing for concrete security commitments from the United States, Trump and Vice President JD Vance grew frustrated while listening to the Ukraine leader’s remarks in English on the war and his skepticism about any dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Roughly the last 10 minutes of the 50-minute meeting, which was open to the press, devolved into a chaotic back and forth after Vance told Zelenskyy that diplomacy is necessary to end the war and advised him to be more thankful for Trump’s efforts to prevent Ukraine from being wiped out by Russia.
“I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said, after Zelenskyy argued that Putin cannot be trusted, citing his violations of multiple earlier promises. Vance also said Ukraine’s military has “manpower problems.”
Zelenskyy challenged Vance, suggesting the vice president does not fully grasp the reality of the war, prompting Trump to weigh in to back his vice president.
“You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “You don’t have the cards right now…you’re not winning this.”
While Vance kept pressing Zelenskyy to say “thank you” to Trump, the U.S. president said, “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.”
Russia appears to have welcomed the distancing in relations between the United States and Ukraine, as well as wider Europe. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, labeled Zelenskyy an “insolent pig” in a social media post, saying he “finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office.”
Medvedev, who is now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, said Trump is right that Ukraine is gambling with World War III.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) leaves the White House on Feb. 28, 2025, after meeting with the U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
Trump and Zelenskyy’s delegations were set to sign an agreement that would have enabled the United States to receive revenues from Ukraine’s rare earths and other natural resources.
“We have something that is a very fair deal,” Trump said alongside Zelenskyy at the outset of the meeting, emphasizing that it was a “big commitment” from the United States.
Before the meeting fractured, Zelenskyy voiced hope that the minerals deal would be the first step to “real security guarantees” for his country’s future.
But he also stressed that it is important for Ukraine to “save our freedom and democracy” and he wanted to see “no compromises with a killer about our territory” referring to Putin.
He has sought U.S.-backed security guarantees and Ukraine’s membership in NATO to ensure a lasting peace. But a senior Trump administration official previously said it would not make such promises.
The pact, instead, was to create a fund aimed at recouping some American taxpayer money provided in military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and rebuilding the war-torn country once a peace deal is reached between Kyiv and Moscow, according to officials.
Trump has expressed confidence that Russia will not invade Ukraine again if he brokers the peace accord.
After the war ends, Trump has said Europe should take charge of safeguarding Ukraine’s security. But he has also suggested that the minerals deal would offer de-facto security assurances and long-term economic stability for Ukraine.
Still, Trump’s efforts to end the conflict quickly, without specifying what would be required of Russia and often echoing Moscow’s talking points, have rattled Western leaders.
After holding talks with Trump at the White House on Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that peace in Ukraine cannot be done in a way that “rewards the aggressor.”
BY: The Times Union
