A potential deal between the United States and Ukraine intended to pave the way for an end to the war with Russia was up in the air Friday, after a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday grew contentious.
Trump told Zelenskyy “you’re not acting at all thankful” for the support his country had received from the United States, adding the Ukrainian leader had been disrespectful, and telling him, “you’re gambling with World War III.”
A scheduled news conference between the two men was subsequently canceled. Zelenskyy left the White House but didn’t take questions.
Zelenskyy came to Washington expected to sign a deal that would give the United States access to Ukrainian rare earth and critical minerals. But the heated session — with raised voices and cross-talk playing out in front of TV cameras — left the future of the negotiations uncertain.
The argument came at the end of a lengthy question-and-answer session with reporters, after Trump defended his approach with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was trying to broker a deal between two parties.
“I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world, I’m aligned with the world, and I want to get this thing over with,” Trump said.
Vice President Vance then defended Trump’s approach as “diplomacy.” That elicited a strong response from Zelenskyy, who said a “ceasefire” with Russia was not enough and described how Putin had broken previous deals. Zelenskyy has been seeking security assurance as part of any deal to end the war.
Vance accused Zelenskyy of trying to “litigate this in front of the American media,” accusing him of running propaganda tours and campaigning for Democrats in Pennsylvania during the election and being ungrateful.
“Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country, please,” Vance said.
Zelenskyy asked, “Have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen the problems we have? Come once.”
“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, you will not have war,” Zelenskyy said with his arms crossed. President Trump interjected by saying, “Don’t tell us what we’re gonna feel. We’re trying to solve a problem.”
In a social media post after the heated meeting, Trump said he had “determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace.”
