<p>US President Donald Trump, with his Vice President JD Vance, had a heated argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the world media in the Oval Office on Friday over the war with Russia.</p>
<p>Zelenskyy viewed the Oval Office meeting as a crucial opportunity to persuade the United States not to align with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.</p>
<p>Since assuming the presidency, Trump has shifted toward Russia, alarming traditional allies in Europe and beyond while leaving Ukraine increasingly vulnerable. The already tense meeting escalated when Vance emphasised the importance of diplomacy in resolving Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. With his arms crossed, Zelenskiy pushed back, arguing that Putin could not be trusted and pointing out that Vance had never visited Ukraine.</p>
<p><strong>Here are some of the highlights from the exchange between the three leaders:</strong></p>
<p>Vance: “For four years, the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity is, maybe, engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Can I ask you?”</p>
<p>Vance: “Sure. Yeah.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “OK. So he (Putin) occupied it, our parts, big parts of Ukraine, parts of east and Crimea. So he occupied it in 2014. So during a lot of years — I’m not speaking about just Biden, but those times was (Barack) Obama, then President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden, now President Trump. And God bless, now, President Trump will stop him. But during 2014, nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people. You know what the –“</p>
<p>Trump: “2015?”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “2014.”</p>
<p>Trump: “Oh, 2014? I was not here.”</p>
<p>Vance: “That’s exactly right.”</p>
<p><strong>Zelenskyy On Putin Breaking Ceasefire Deals</strong></p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Yes, but during 2014 ‘til 2022, the situation is the same, that people have been dying on the contact line. Nobody stopped him. You know that we had conversations with him, a lot of conversations, my bilateral conversation. And we signed with him, me, like, you, president, in 2019, I signed with him the deal. I signed with him, (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (former German Chancellor Angela) Merkel. We signed ceasefire. Ceasefire. All of them told me that he will never go … But after that, he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Vance: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. 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.”</p>
<p>“Do you disagree that you’ve had problems with bringing people in your military, and do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ: <span style=”color: #e03e2d;”><a style=”color: #e03e2d;” href=”https://news.abplive.com/news/world/us-donald-trump-after-oval-office-spat-says-zelenskyy-should-want-peace-not-bloodshead-1754627″>’Zelenskyy Overplayed His Hand; He Should…’: Donald Trump After Oval Office Spat</a></span></strong></p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?”</p>
<p>Vance: “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems, bringing people into your military?”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “We have problems –”</p>
<p>Vance: “And do you think that is respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”</p>
<p><strong>Trump Tell Zelenskyy Not To Dictate How US Would Feel In A War</strong></p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future. God bless –”</p>
<p>Trump: “You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”</p>
<p>Trump: “Because you’re in no position to dictate that.”</p>
<p>Vance: “That’s exactly what you’re doing.”</p>
<p>Trump: “You are in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “You will feel influenced.”</p>
<p>Trump: “We are going to feel very good and very strong.”</p>
<p>Trump: “You’re, right now, not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position –”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “From the very beginning of the war —”</p>
<p>Trump: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. President. I’m very serious.”</p>
<p><strong>Trump Accuses Zelenskyy Of Gambling With World War III</strong></p>
<p>Trump: “You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “What are you speaking about?”</p>
<p>Trump: “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 said they should have.”</p>
<p>Vance: “Have you said thank you once?”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “A lot of times. Even today.”</p>
<p>Vance: “No, in this entire meeting. You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “No.”</p>
<p>Vance: “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Please. You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can –”</p>
<p>Trump: “He’s not speaking loudly. He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble.”</p>
<p>Trump: “You’re not winning. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.”</p>
<p><strong>Trump Tells Zelenskyy If Ukraine Didn’t Have US Military The War Would Be Over Sooner</strong></p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “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.”</p>
<p>Trump: “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “In three days. I heard it from Putin. In three days.”</p>
<p>Trump: “Maybe less. It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, I tell you.</p>
<p>Vance: “Just say thank you.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “I said a lot of times, thank you, to American people.”</p>
<p>Vance: “Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.”</p>
<p>Trump: “But you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “I’m thankful.”</p>
<p><strong>Zelenskyy Disagrees To A Ceasefire</strong></p>
<p>Trump: “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. People are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing, and then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire, I want to go, and I want this.’ Look, if you can get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Of course we want to stop the war. But I said to you, with guarantees.”</p>
<p>Trump: “Are you saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.”</p>
<p>Trump: “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden, who is not a smart person.”</p>
<p>Zelenskyy: “This is your president. It was your president.”</p>
<p>Trump: “Excuse me. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets, and I gave you Javelins. I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is Obama gave sheets, and Trump gave Javelins. You’ve got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards.”</p>
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Trump & Vance Clash With Zelenskyy In Heated Oval Office Exchange Over Russia-Ukraine War: Read Transcript Here
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