WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes relations with the White House can be salvaged despite a highly unusual public clash with U.S. President Donald Trump that derailed talks toward ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
The meeting with Trump on February 28 ended in acrimony after a very tense exchange in the Oval Office, with Zelenskyy leaving hastily and Trump saying the Ukrainian leader was disrespectful and could "come back when he is ready for peace."
Zelenskyy, who is set over the weekend to meet with European leaders in London -– where he likely expects a better reception -- departed the White House without signing a minerals deal with Trump that had been the main purpose of the meeting, and a joint press conference was canceled.
In his first public comments just hours after the fiery exchange, Zelenskyy told Fox News in an interview that he respects Trump and "of course" believes the relationship can be fixed as Ukraine does not want to lose its partner.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later added on to the administration’s admonitions of Zelenskyy, calling on the Ukrainian leader to apologize for turning the White House meeting into a "fiasco."
Rubio said on CNN that Zelenskyy should "apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did.” Zelenskyy earlier said in his Fox News interview that he didn’t feel he had anything to apologize for in the meeting.
The remarkable developments raised new questions about further U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion.
"We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“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."
"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.”
Zelenskyy told Fox News that it would be difficult for Ukraine to hold off the Kremlin's military might without U.S. support but said Kyiv would not enter peace talks with Moscow until it receives security guarantees against another Russian military offensive.
"Ukraine wants peace, and we will have peace," he said, adding, however, that it must be a "just and lasting peace" and that "we have to be in a strong position" to negotiate.
In comments to reporters as he left the White House for his estate in Florida, Trump said Zelenskyy did not appear to be a man who wanted peace and that he had "overplayed his hand" in their White House meeting.
"I want a cease-fire now ... immediately," Trump said as he left the White House for his Florida estate.
"He's looking to go on and fight, fight, fight," Trump said of Zelenskyy.
When asked by reporters if he was considering cutting off military aid to Ukraine, Trump said only that it "doesn't matter what I'm considering."
During the meeting, Zelenskyy pressed for U.S. security commitments and said there should be "no compromises with a killer," clearly referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Trump said Ukraine would need to make concessions and that Kyiv should be more grateful for U.S. support.
After shaking hands as they met for the first time since Trump took office on January 20, the two leaders had an icy exchange before the cameras, raising their voices and reviving a dispute that Trump launched a week ago when he falsely blamed Ukraine for the war and called Zelenskyy a "dictator."
"You're not acting at all thankful. It's not a nice thing," said Trump, who has had a difficult relationship with Zelenskyy since the latter was elected in 2019. "It's going to be very hard to do business like this."
"You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump said. "You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to...this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
In video footage from the Oval Office, Trump and Zelenskyy interrupted each other and the U.S. president told his visitor, "Your country's in big trouble. You're not winning.... You have a damn good chance of getting out of this OK because of us.... You don't have the cards."
The meeting had been closely watched for signs of whether the United States would commit to providing further aid to Kyiv or promise any specific security guarantees against further Russian aggression as part of any cease-fire or peace deal.
The two had been expected to sign a framework agreement on U.S. access to Ukraine's mineral resources. The agreement, now in at least its third version, was a source of contention between Trump and Zelenskyy earlier this month as they disagreed over the value of the deal and the absence of concrete security guarantees.
Before the clash, Zelenskyy told reporters inside the White House that he hoped the minerals deal would be a step forward for Ukraine and said he wanted to discuss in more detail with Trump what the United States is ready to do for his country.
Trump said the agreement with Kyiv would be "very fair" and that a truce in Russia's war against Ukraine is "fairly close." He said Kyiv would have to make compromises.
As he rejected Trump's call for compromise, Zelenskyy showed the U.S. president pictures of alleged Russian atrocities.
Beyond his meeting with the president, Zelenskyy engaged with key U.S. lawmakers, influential religious figures, and a think tank to bolster support for Ukraine, especially within Trump's Republican Party.
Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan delegation from the Senate, where Ukraine enjoys strong support, to press for continued military aid. He also met with Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader who has sway within the Republican party.
Biden 'Talked Tough' But...
The clash began as the meeting with reporters present was about to wrap up, when Vice President JD Vance answered a question from a reporter who said Trump’s outreach to Putin unnerved Europeans. Vance said former President Joe Biden “talked tough” about Putin but didn’t stop the Russian leader.
“The path to peace, the path to prosperity, is maybe engaging in diplomacy,” Vance said. “What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”
Zelenskyy responded to Vance, saying he and European leaders had negotiated with Putin and agreed to a cease-fire in 2019, when Trump was president, but that Russia had violated it.
“He broke the cease-fire," Zelenskyy said of Putin. "He killed our people…. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are talking about? What do you mean?”
Vance responded with apparent anger.
“I think it is disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” the vice president said. Trump then spoke sternly, telling Zelenskyy he holds no cards.
It was the second time in two weeks that Trump and Zelenskyy got into a heated exchange, the first time a long-distance war of words. After Trump blamed Ukraine for the war, Zelenskyy said the U.S. president was being fed Russian propaganda. Trump responded angrily in a February 19 social media post, calling Zelenskyy a "dictator" who risks losing his country if he doesn't act fast to accept a peace deal.
Trump played down the comments and struck a far softer tone at a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the eve of Zelenskyy's visit, saying, "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that."
Trump also said he had a "lot of respect" for Zelenskyy, adding that Ukrainians "have fought very bravely."
Ukrainian analyst Serhiy Harmash told Current Time he believes Trump stepped back from his earlier comments because meeting with a leader he had disparaged "would be a blow to his credibility."
"And he's interested in meeting [Zelenskyy] because he needs to sign this minerals framework agreement" to notch a diplomatic achievement and bolster his image as a dealmaker," said Harmash, who was in previous negotiations with Russia.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian deputy and the chair of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy, told an RFE/RL program that Zelenskyy "did not insult Trump, he defended Ukraine."
However, Andriy Veselovskiy, Ukraine's former representative to the European Union, told RFE/RL that "raising your voice in the Oval Office at the vice president and the president, and interrupting both, does not serve the interests of Ukraine. It's not about two or three people. It's about the interests of Ukraine."
Global Diplomacy
The talks between Trump and Zelenskyy came during a week of lightning diplomacy between Europe and the United States.
Meeting with Trump at the White House in a bid to mend a strained transatlantic relationship triggered by disagreements over Ukraine and trade, Starmer urged the U.S. president to guarantee Ukraine’s security should a deal be reached to end the fighting.
Zelenskyy is next due to travel to London, where Starmer is scheduled to host a meeting of European leaders on March 2 to discuss Ukraine and overall security matters for the Continent.
Following Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump, Downing Street said Starmer spoke by phone individually with both leaders.
Starmer "retains unwavering support for Ukraine and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine," a statement said.
"The prime minister looks forward to hosting international leaders on [March 2] including President Zelenskyy," it added.
