US President Donald Trump’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky began with exchanging compliments on Friday but turned into a fiery argument within minutes in a public blowup that had the world media in attendance at the White House. The Ukrainian delegation was then asked to leave the White House with the formal lunch with the President remaining untouched, reports said.
The meeting – their first since Trump returned to power in January – started with handshakes and smiles but soon blew up when US Vice President JD Vance stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in 2022.
“For four years, the United States of America 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,” Vance said as he took a dig at the former US President Joe Biden.
“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,” he added while responding to a question from a reporter.
To this, Zelensky said if he could ask Vance a question.
“Sure. Yeah,” Vance responded.
“Okay. So he (Vladimir Putin) occupied it, our parts, big parts of Ukraine, parts of east and Crimea. So, he occupied it in 2014. During a lot of years – I’m not speaking about just Biden, but those times was (Barack) 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,” the Ukraine president said, referring to the annexation of Crimea.
“Yes, but from 2014 till 2022, the situation was the same. People have been dying on the contact line. Nobody stopped him. You know that we had conversations with him, a lot of conversations…. And we signed a deal with him. (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (former German Chancellor Angela) Merkel signed a 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?” Zelensky said.
WATCH IN FULL: All 46 minutes of the Oval Office meeting between President Donald J. Trump and President Zelenskyy pic.twitter.com/L88QejnhRA
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” the US Vice President responded.
Zelensky then said, “Yes, but if you…” but was interrupted by Vance.
“Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the frontlines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president,” Vance said.
As the ugly clash continued, Zelensky asked Vance if he had “ever been” to Ukraine to “see the problems” that they have.
“I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr President,” Vance said.
“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?” he added.
In response to this, Zelensky said that “everybody has problems” during the war, even the US.
“You have nice solutions and don’t feel (it) now, but you will feel it in the future,” he said, triggering Trump.
“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,” Trump responded.
“I am not telling you, I am answering…,” Zelensky said.
Trump then raised his voice and said, “You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good and very strong.”
“You right now are not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Trump added as Zelensky tried to interrupt him.
“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 this country,” the 78-year-old US President said.
Vance then asked Zelensky if he had said “thank you even once”.
“A lot of times,” Zelensky answered.
“No, in this meeting, this entire meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance said.
Zelensky then said, “Yes, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war…” but was again cut off by Trump.
“He’s not speaking loud. Your country is in big trouble. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble,” Trump said.
“You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK, because of us,” he added.
Trump also told Zelensky that if Ukraine didn’t have the US’s military equipment, the war would have been over in two weeks.
“I heard it from Putin in three days,” Zelensky responded.
“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump said.
“You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. No, listen… And then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a cease fire. I don’t want a cease fire. I want to go and I want this’,” he added.
“You’re not acting at all thankful. And that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing. All right, I think we’ve seen enough. What do you think? “This is going to be great television, I will say that,” Trump said as he wrapped up the over 40-minute meeting.
Trump On Clash With Zelensky
After the argument, Donald Trump posted on social media that Volodymyr Zelensky “can come back when he is ready for peace.”
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” he wrote on X.
“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump added.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if… pic.twitter.com/CtnqXBNcW3
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 28, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called for Zelensky to apologize for the clash with Trump.
Zelensky should “apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did,” he told CNN.
Zelensky Refuses To Apologise For Row With Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky, however, refused to apologize for his row with Donald Trump.
“I’m not sure that we did something bad,” he told Fox News after the fiery clash with the US President and his deputy.
The 47-year-old, however, said he wished the exchange had not taken place in front of reporters.
He also said that his relations with the US can still be repaired.
US-Ukrainian ties are about “more than two presidents,” he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington’s help in the fight against Russia.
